Perception
by Cynchick
Summary: The Akatsuki think Sakura will be the perfect bait to lure the Kyuubi but they get a whole lot more than they planned for. A story about the blurred line between good and evil and how what we think we know can be proven very wrong. ItaSaku
1. The Perfect Plan

Contains spoilers up to chapter 350.

All reviews and opinions are much appreciated.

* * *

**Perception**

Chapter One: The Perfect Plan

* * *

"_Target location identified, three hundred meters northwest_," a muted male voice broke the silence.

"_Copy. Moving to your location now_," replied another voice, deeper and smoother than the first. "_The two of us will approach the building and confirm target status. Everyone else stay hidden and mask your chakra. Move to our location on confirmation_."

"_That bastard better be there this time!_" ground out a third voice.

"_Keep your voice down, moron_."

"_Don't order me around, asshole!_"

"Both of you shut the hell up!" hissed a fourth voice, this one distinctly female.

Haruno Sakura rolled her eyes as she listened to the hollow, tinny voices coming from her earpiece, silently mouthing a string of curses at her two bickering teammates. Their constant fighting and insult slinging despite the fact they were friends had grown old long ago. She crouched low in the tree branch, drawing her chakra inside herself, moving as little as possible. She was so inconspicuous that the tree's resident squirrel was scurried around not far from her on the trunk, completely undisturbed by her presence.

She tiredly wiped her brow, removing the fine trickle of sweat running down her temple.

After several minutes of silent waiting her mind began to wander to the reason they were here. _Sasuke_. They were tracking Sasuke. Or rather, trying to track him down and failing.

#

_Sakura entered the Hokage's office, Naruto following behind—still slightly disgruntled from being dragged away from his breakfast at Ichiraku, to find the Hokage gazing out the large window, Jiraiya standing beside her. Both were gravely serious. _

_She bowed briefly and gave a respectful nod to Jiraiya. Naruto simply stood staring between the two. For once he seemed to pick up on the somber mood and was behaving accordingly. _

"_What did you want to speak to us about, Hokage-sama?" she asked tentatively. _

_Tsunade turned around and simply looked at them, unsure how to phrase her words. "Right," she began. "Information has been coming in from other countries. I wanted to discuss it with you."_

"_Information…?" Sakura had a feeling what this was about, and dreaded what she would hear next._

"_What is it?" Naruto asked. The look on his face said he had the same feeling as his teammate. _

_Tsunade looked to Jiraiya before continuing. Her old teammate's gaze was turned inward, his expression a deep thoughtful frown. "Orochimaru is dead," she said hollowly, as if she wasn't quite sure what to make of that fact. _

_Sakura could understand the mixed emotions of the two Sannin. Orochimaru was a monster who deserved whatever bad could happen to him, but he was once their teammate and maybe even a friend. The similarities between the three Sannin and Team Seven were uncanny. It was Sakura's greatest fear that they would lose the battle to save their friend like the two older ninja before her. It was Naruto's greatest fear as well. _

"_It seems Uchiha Sasuke was the one who killed him."_

"_Really!" asked a shocked Naruto._

_Jiraiya seemed to come back to himself. "It's definitely true; my most reliable sources confirmed it."_

_Sakura's stomach clenched around the implications of that statement. "That's…then…" _

"_HAHA! I knew that freak wouldn't be able to take Sasuke down!" Naruto cried smugly. "So Sasuke's coming back to Konoha now, right?" He looked back and forth between the two Sannin, who regarded him with unreadable expressions. His smile cracked a little. "Right?" _

"_Doesn't look like it." _

_Another stunned silence. Sakura's smile slid off her face like someone had slapped her. _

"_What the hell do you mean?" Naruto shouted into the quiet office, his face full of disbelief and anger. "Why not? How could he not come back now that Orochimaru is gone?"_

"_Sasuke was not kidnapped by Orochimaru, Naruto. Nor was he being held prisoner. He left Konoha on his own to seek power. You know that," Jiraiya admonished._

"_Sasuke is obsessed with getting revenge. He will try to find Akatsuki so he can kill his brother, Itachi," Tsunade added._

_Sakura and Naruto both knew it, and had lived in quiet denial about it since the day their teammate left them. Now they were bitterly forced to accept the hard truth; they didn't mean as much to Sasuke as he did to them. Nothing was more important to him than killing Itachi. He was an avenger. _

_Looking at Naruto, Sakura could see how hard this was for him. Not for the first time, she thought that no matter how much she cared for Sasuke, somehow it seemed Naruto was truly the one hurt most by his betrayal. His expression was so dark and brooding that he could have rivaled Sasuke at his worst. _

"_Damn that bastard!" he growled. It wasn't clear which Uchiha he was referring to. Suddenly he snapped into a different mode altogether, bright eyes resolute. "We need to form a platoon and move out right now! The mission to hunt down Akatsuki is still going on right?"_

"_Yes…" Tsunade replied reluctantly. _

"_To get to Sasuke we need to go after the member of Akatsuki we have the best chance of finding," he said."In other words, we need to find Uchiha Itachi."_

_#_

Now here they were, three years later. Team Kakashi was given a top secret, S-ranked mission of indefinite length with a single purpose: locate Uchiha Sasuke and return him alive to Konoha by any means necessary.

Sakura was no fool. The Hokage did not take four of Leaf's best ninja off mission rotation to go on a soul-saving quest to rescue their lost friend. The assignment was only sanctioned by the council of elders because Konoha could not afford to lose the Sharingan bloodline. They would convince Sasuke to return with them of his own free will, or they would take him by force and return him to Konoha where they would artificially return the bloodline to the village. Then he would be tried and likely executed for treason.

It was a harsh, but entirely possible truth. The members of Team Kakashi knew this better than anyone. Yet despite it all, they would do everything in their power to save Sasuke from himself. Whatever it took to convince him to return willingly and spare him from a traitor's death he didn't entirely deserve. His extenuating circumstances would save him if he came home willingly, but they would be thrown out if he was brought back as a prisoner. Tsunade had chosen Team Kakashi for this vital mission because she knew they had the best chance of a positive outcome.

Three years they'd been tracking Akatsuki for any information on Uchiha Itachi's whereabouts. They weren't trying to prevent a confrontation between the brothers, they were simply using the fact that if _they_ knew where Itachi was, it was likely that Sasuke did too and they could intercept him. It was a dangerous game; stalking Akatsuki without drawing attention, lurking in the shadows hoping to run into Sasuke doing the same. Team Kakashi had effectively become hunter-nin with a single, unchanging target.

It was relatively simple plan, but they'd had very little success. Whenever they got a lead on Akatsuki activity they would investigate, but it was never Uchiha Itachi or his partner Hoshigake Kisame. They would wait around for a day or two to see if they could catch a chance rendezvous with their target pair, or even for Sasuke to show up on the same dead-end lead. Most times, any Akatsuki that may have been around were already gone, and they were _very_ good at covering their tracks even from Kakashi's ninken dogs.

Sakura sighed in frustration, bored—not to mention cramped—from all the waiting. She wondered how Naruto was faring. Normally, he was the absolute _worst _person for missions of stealth and reconnaissance, but because of the danger involved, the severity of the situation, and mainly because it was for Sasuke, he was able to keep himself in check. Mostly.

Impatience was beginning to get the best of her and she resisted the urge to fidget. If Akatsuki was in the area they would find her in a heartbeat if she wasn't as stealthy as possible. She realized she had lost track of time during her musing, and chastised herself for losing focus. The sun's position told her that Kakashi and Sai had been gone about twenty minutes; they should have something to report soon. She really hoped they had something to go on this time.

They had staked out several members of Akatsuki before, but they could never catch that damned Uchiha or his fishlike partner. The man was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace, his name whispered in the dark corners of taverns and always with fear. She hadn't seen him since they were sent to rescue Gaara three years ago. Technically it wasn't even him, merely an advanced clone, but she still remembered his deadly and intimidating presence. On the other hand, his partner Kisame had a habit of looking for trouble everywhere they went, usually leaving a brutal, bloody mess behind him. Yet for all the havoc he caused he was impossible to track as well.

If Team Kakashi had actually managed to stumble across the infamous duo this time it would be a miracle. With their track record it was unlikely. After what seemed like forever, her comm. set activated with a tiny click and Kakashi's voice sounded in her ear:

"_The building is empty. Whoever may have been here is gone now. No other information or clues, so I guess that's that._" His electronically hollowed voice sounded strained and tired.

"_Damn it, not again!_" was Naruto's frustrated reply.

"_Meet at the rendezvous point_."

"_Yeah, yeah we know_."

Sakura hung her head limply in a moment of sheer frustration. She stood slowly, knees aching from her extended crouch, the tops of her boots leaving pressure marks on the backs of her bare thighs. She stretched her legs, easing cramped muscles. "On my way," she said into the mic at her throat, and launched from the tree branch to meet up with the others.

As she made her way to the rendezvous point, Sakura found herself thinking about her team and how much they had changed over the years. They were a far cry from the mismatched, reckless group they were when they were younger, though they could still be dysfunctional. That was what she loved about them. Even Sai, insensitive jackass that he was, had helped their team grow and change.

When they were reclassified to their current mission, they realized they needed to be on par with their intended targets or they wouldn't stand a chance. Sai and Kakashi taught them every trick used in ANBU and them some. Sakura and Naruto contributed the many things they'd learned as privileged students of two of the legendary Sannin. After several grueling weeks of intense training, Team Kakashi was hardly recognizable in its team dynamics and deadly, precise functionality.

Sakura had changed on a personal level as well, into a confident jounin. After Team Seven fell apart, she realized she needed to get past the silly preteen melodrama that had been her life until that point and learn to stand on her own. After easily making chuunin with her teammates nowhere in sight, she came to conclusion that their unnatural strength had intimidated her and quite possibly held her back. After all, a sapling cannot grow in the shadow of a mighty tree. Or three trees, as it were. It was likely she was never all that weak, except for her tendency to let emotions rule her judgment. When held next to the great Copy Ninja, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and the prodigious Uchiha, she had paled in comparison. But next to anyone else she had always been exemplary.

At eighteen, after six years of growing and learning on her own, apprenticed to the most powerful kunoichi in the world, Sakura was a force to be reckoned with. She held up against her extraordinary teammates just fine, and in fact, sometimes they were a little intimidated by her temper and freakish strength. Jiraiya hadn't called her a mini-Tsunade for nothing.

#

Naruto was already at the designated rendezvous point, looking thoroughly irritated. Sakura dropped down from the trees into the small clearing, and he grinned warmly and moved to her side, throwing an arm around her shoulders and thunking his head against hers in acknowledgement of their shared frustration. Sakura could feel how tired he was. They were all tired. This seemingly hopeless mission was wearing on them, but they refused to lose their determination.

Moving away from him, she removed her pack from her shoulders and dropped it carelessly on the ground, grabbed her canteen and walked to the small creek near the clearing just as Sai dropped silently from the trees. He nodded at her before setting his pack down and walking off again.

Sakura removed her gloves and knelt down at the stream. The cool water felt wonderful on her hot skin as she washed her dirty hands and face, then splashed some of the refreshing liquid on the back of her neck before bending down and drinking from her hands. She felt Kakashi's presence moments before he entered the clearing, but didn't look up as she was busy refilling her canteen.

"What now?" Naruto asked him.

"We rest here until nightfall, then we move out." Kakashi dropped his own pack and sat down next to it, tugged his mask down and began rubbing his neck to work out the kinks.

Glancing at Kakashi and his woeful attempt at self-massage, Sakura returned her canteen to the side pouch of her pack. She moved behind him and knelt, swatting his gloved hand away from his neck as she placed her hands on his shoulders and began to work out the knots. He immediately relaxed under her expert touch, sagging as the tension drained from him. "You're amazing Sakura-chan," he sighed, leaning back into her. "What would I ever do without you?"

"Die a painful death due to your own stubbornness and refusal to seek help or medical attention."

"Hmm, you're probably right," he conceded, leaning back further, forcing her to widen her knees to accommodate him. Sakura gave an exasperated laugh and playfully smacked the back of his head.

Sai came back from wherever he'd gone off to, eyeing Naruto as the now shirtless blond dunked his entire head in the stream and came up for air, shaking his sopping head like a wet dog. Sakura squeaked as a spray of water hit her in the face. Kakashi chuckled; he had predicted Naruto's idiocy and raised his hand to block the spray. He could have blocked _her_ from it as well, but hadn't because he thought it would be funny. She pinched down on his nape in retaliation, which only made him laugh at her more. Sai turned his attention to them and observed the little massage session. He said nothing and looked away.

Not one to miss an opportunity to ruffle his teammate's feathers, Naruto turned toward Sai and mimicked Sakura's movements, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. He was rewarded with a slightly revolted look from the artist, and all three of them laughed. Sai merely grabbed his pack and, steering clear of a snickering Naruto, sat against a tree and took out his sketchbook.

Naruto put his undershirt back on, but threw his jacket over the top of his pack as he sprawled out on the ground and tucked it under his head, intending to nap in the late afternoon sun like a cat.

Sakura moved back from Kakashi as she finished working out the last kink. "Better?"

"Much," he replied quietly. She made to move away when he made a circular motion with his arm, indicating for her to move around in front of him. She couldn't believe he was actually offering to return the favor, but she wasn't about to refuse. He grabbed her arms and scooted her backward with him until his back rested against the tree. He set one leg on either side of her with knees bent and set to work on her tense muscles.

Six, four, even two years ago she would have been shocked as hell to be in this situation, but a lot had changed within their team over time. Sakura knew she was one of the only people allowed in the aloof Copy Ninja's personal space. Kakashi's strong fingers hit a pressure point and her mind was suddenly wiped blank. A soft moan escaped her lips and she slumped against him, all of her tension draining away under his touch. Her involuntary reaction caused Sai to pause in his sketching, and Naruto cracked an eye open in their direction briefly before returning to his catnap. Kakashi merely smirked and continued. Sakura was only mildly embarrassed at her little slip. She was very comfortable with all of her boys, as they were with her.

There were people in Konoha, mainly the village elders, who thought that Team Kakashi was a little _too_ close, that their team dynamics were borderline unprofessional. Tsunade, however, knew that turmoil was what brought people together, and their team had endured plenty. After all they had been through their bonds were permanent and unbreakable. It was the key to their magic. Despite their grumbling, even the elders couldn't deny that Team Kakashi was one of the most highly skilled and well-rounded teams in Konoha.

Sakura couldn't care less what those people thought. She learned a long time ago that maintaining a professional bearing was merely an external behavior and didn't change the way one actually _felt_. Naruto had never followed that shinobi rule, and after some time Sakura decided that, at least with the people close to her heart, she wouldn't either. Sai and Kakashi held the same belief, though in different degrees. _They_ knew what they were to each other. Everyone else could piss off.

The late summer sun had just begun its afternoon descent; they had about two hours until nightfall. Sakura let herself relax fully against Kakashi as he continued to work out the knots in her neck and shoulders. It was peaceful in the small clearing, listening to the lulling music of the forest, watching her teammates relaxing and enjoying the afternoon after the long, trying day.

The first time Kakashi removed his mask in front of them, Naruto could barely contain himself and gaped unabashedly at his newly revealed face for hours. Even Sai had to fight the urge to stare. Sakura had stared too, but women are much subtler about things like ogling. She had always known Kakashi was a handsome man. His mask was formfitting, after all, and you could see the outline of his features if you paid close attention. His good looks were probably one of the reasons he wore the mask, as he didn't like the attention. Other than his willingness show his face, his outward appearance hadn't changed much in all the years she'd known him. He still wore the standard black jounin uniform, still had gravity-defying silver hair that looked like it was never brushed. Sakura had tried brushing it once, but his hair was as stubborn as he was and refused to go any direction besides _up_.

Naruto was beginning to emit small snoring noises, and she watched him a moment. He was sprawled haphazardly on the ground, taking up as much space as possible, his shirt riding up to bare his abdomen. The dark coloring of the Kyuubi seal around his navel stood out in stark contrast on his sun-kissed skin. It had been a while since he'd had a haircut and his golden hair hung over his hitai-ate, partially obscuring the whisker-like marks that the Kyuubi sealing had left on his cheeks. He was more mature these days, so much more thoughtful and perceptive that she sometimes wondered what happened during his three year absence from Konoha to make him grow up so much. There was no doubt in her mind that the goofy, hyperactive young man currently flopped on the forest floor like a well-fed dog would be the next Hokage.

Sakura turned her gaze to Sai. He felt her eyes on him and looked up, gave her a small smile and returned to his drawing. Sai had probably changed more than anyone else. His pale, handsome face was still rather expressionless, but only if you didn't know him. He'd learned that fake smiles and nicknames you didn't mean didn't have the effect on people the books said they would, so he stopped doing it. Sakura couldn't imagine the atrocities done to the children of Root to turn them into such severely repressed, psychologically damaged soldiers, but Sai was slowly pulling himself out of it with their help. His smiles were rare but genuine, and although he would always be slightly emotionally stunted, he _did_ feel things, and expressed them in the little ways he knew how.

Watching the aloof artist and trying to figure out what he was thinking reminded her of the dark haired man he resembled: the missing member of their team. Yes, they still considered Sasuke a member of their team, and probably always would. Even Sai, who had only met him once under less than favorable circumstances and had only learned about him from his teammates, still felt a strange connection to the misguided Uchiha. They were a family and Sasuke was the wandering stray, their black sheep.

They hadn't seen him for three years, and she couldn't help but wonder what he looked like now. Was he still beautiful? Most likely. Was he still brooding? More than ever, of that she was certain. Was he tall or short? Muscular or lean? She didn't have a clue since she had none of his relatives to judge by, and she was too young and scared the one time she'd seen Itachi to make a comparison. She'd heard they looked a lot alike, but she hadn't looked at his face that time for fear of being caught by his eyes. Would Sasuke have that same deadly aura around him? It worried her to think so.

#

The sun was below the horizon, the sounds of the forest changing as the nocturnal creatures awoke and came out of hiding. The trill of crickets and the feel of Kakashi shifting behind her brought Sakura back to her senses, and she got that odd feeling of waking without knowing you'd been asleep.

She had fallen asleep with her back against Kakashi's chest, effectively trapping him against the tree. She looked over her shoulder at him. He'd pulled out Icha Icha at some point, and had propped his elbow on his knee for leverage to read. He felt her shift against him as she woke up, and he closed his book before tilting his head toward her. "Nice nap?"

"Sorry," she murmured sheepisly, sitting up. "Why didn't you move me?"

"You were keeping me warm."

She blinked. "It's hardly cold."

He gave her an affable smile and shrugged. Sakura rolled her eyes at the cryptic man and stood, stretching out. Naruto did likewise with a full-throated yawn. Sai closed his sketchpad and returned it to his pack. Kakashi stood as well, returning Icha Icha to his pocket before brushing the dirt and leaves from his pants.

Naruto shook the forest debris from himself and his jacket before putting it back on, walking out of the clearing as he zipped it up. "I gotta take a leak," he graciously informed them.

"How do you pee without a dick? Do you squat like a girl?" Sai hadn't said a word in hours, but apparently couldn't resist an opportunity to tease him. Maybe it was payback for the massage joke earlier.

"Man, what is it with you and your obsession with dicks? Go play with your own and stop thinking about mine, you freak."

"At least I have one to play with."

Naruto just stood there for a moment, gaping at Sai as if he couldn't believe this subject was _still_ being brought up. Then he stomped back into the clearing, stopped right in front of Sai and began to unbuckle his pants. "I'll show you who's dickless, motherfu—"

Sakura couldn't believe the idiot was actually going to whip it out right here in front of her! She launched forward and was about to pound him in righteous indignation when Kakashi stepped in and grabbed him by the collar just as he reached inside the front of his pants. Sakura was about to whack him anyway for standing there practically fondling himself, when Kakashi grabbed her from behind. "Knock it off."

"He started it," Naruto groused.

Sai gave him a flat look. "What are you, twelve?"

"Shut up, asshole."

"Both of you shut up. You're making too much noise." He let go of Naruto, but held on to Sakura for a moment to make sure she wasn't going to try to hit him anyway. "Naruto, hurry up and finish your business. Let's get moving," he finished with easy, well-practiced authority. He finally let go of Sakura and donned his pack.

Naruto huffed and stalked out if the clearing, shooting Sai a dirty look as he went. Sai stared back, amused, before shouldering his own pack and leaping onto the nearest tree.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. They were all so different, but somehow still the same. She loved them all, and wouldn't have things any other way. Except for one thing, and that was why they would return home and wait for any information on their missing piece, then set out to try again.

Kakashi was busy erasing any signs of their presence. Sakura retrieved her pack and Naruto's, tossing it at him as he came back into the clearing. He caught it midair and effortlessly slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's hurry; the sooner we get back the sooner I can see Hinata-chan!"

"I don't know how you got her, what with you being di –"

"Sai," Kakashi warned tonelessly.

Naruto rolled his eyes and took off into the trees.

Sakura jumped onto the same branch as Sai, shoving him playfully with her hip and giving him a reproving look. He smirked at her, then leapt away in the direction Naruto had gone. Kakashi jumped soundlessly onto the branch beside her, and they shared the understanding smile of the only two relatively normal people in their group. He pulled his mask up over is nose and motioned with a tilt of his head for her to move out. She silently leapt away into the forest, Kakashi followed behind, and the four Leaf ninja vanished into the twilight.

* * *

In a vast, dark cavern hidden in the cliffside of a large ravine, nine shadowy figures materialized silently out of the ether. Their dark silhouettes flickered strangely, non-corporeal, and an ominous aura filled the air as they stood motionless, waiting.

The presence of one dark figure stood out above the rest. His cold, ringed eyes—the only part of him distinguishable from his cloaked shape—rose slowly to acknowledge the eight who had appeared before him. He cast his gaze slowly over each of them before speaking.

"It is time to begin the final stages of our endeavor. What we anticipated to take three years has taken seven, because we underestimated the individual power of the jinchuuriki. However, we have succeeded in capturing and extracting eight of the bijuu. All that remains is the Kyuubi, and then our power will be absolute. The Nine Tails will be the most difficult to obtain, as it is the most powerful. As you all know, the Kyuubi resides in Konoha and is well protected by the Leaf. Several attempts have been made to capture the vessel before now and all were…unsuccessful."

Crimson eyes narrowed in the darkness, and several more pairs of eyes looked in the owner's direction.

The Leader continued, "Despite their reputation for being softhearted and weak, Konoha shinobi have been responsible for the deaths of three of our comrades in the past. The Leaf is not to be taken lightly. That leads me to other, relevant information. Zetsu."

The deep, raspy voice of the plant man echoed through the cavern. " Uchiha Sasuke has been seen again, traveling the towns and countryside with two companions. After Orochimaru died we figured Sasuke would be a hindrance to our plans, especially if he rejoined the Leaf. But after three years it seems he is not the threat we thought he was. Though he is still most likely after Itachi."

"The capture of the Kyuubi is of utmost importance," Leader spoke again. "The extraction process has taken far too long and it is only a matter of time before the seal becomes unstable. Itachi is assigned to the Kyuubi, and any outside interference at this point will prove problematic. Deidara."

"Hm?"

"You and Tobi are closest to Itachi and Kisame's location." It was not a question.

"That's right."

"You will rendezvous with them and cooperate in the capture of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki."

Ice blue eyes glanced at the shadowy duo in curiosity. His voice barely concealed his aversion to the order. "…Understood."

"That is not necessary. We can capture the vessel without assistance," Itachi's voice rang out quietly, a hint of irritation in the smooth tone.

"Yeah, we don't need any help," Kisame echoed, not bothering to hide his distaste for the idea.

"So far that hasn't been the case," Leader reminded them coldly, and all eyes shifted to the pair being put on the spot. "The four of you will rendezvous and work out a plan of action. That is all."

The dark shapes began to shuffle and vanish one by one, their holographic projections flickering out like candle flames.

"Itachi. Kisame," Leader's voice echoed out to two of the remaining figures.

Both the large shadow and the smaller one turned to regard the Leader. Eyes of the departing shadows lingered in their direction briefly before flickering out, until only three figures remained in the vast cavern.

"Do you even know where the jinchuuriki is?" Ringed eyes, cold and grey as steel, empty of all light and emotion bored into the cloaked pair. His displeasure filled the air around them.

"We do not," answered the smaller shadow, his voice as smooth as the leader's was menacing.

"If we did we would have said so when you asked the first time," added the larger shadow, beady silver eyes staring balefully at the tall figure.

The air seemed to chill around them, and the cold eyes of the Leader narrowed dangerously at the giant shape of the shark-man. "You may want to mind your tone, Kisame. The two of you have already tested the limits of my patience."

The shark tempered his voice before continuing, "The Kyuubi vessel was taken into hiding six years ago by the Sannin, Jiraiya. We were unable to locate him at the time. Even if we had, battling a jinchuuriki and a Sannin at the same time would be foolish. We encountered him again three years ago, but he was extremely well guarded then too, and it was in the middle of the Ichibi extraction. Our clones weren't able to defeat the little bastard's entourage."

"I have grown tired of your excuses." He turned to regard the smaller man, who returned his gaze with impassively. The Sharingan user was one of the few who could look him in the eye for any length of time. "Itachi. You are one of the best, and you have my trust, which is not given lightly. I assigned the most powerful of the Bijuu to you for this reason. It has been nearly seven years and you have continued to fail in this task. Your family _issues_ are causing too many problems for Akatsuki, and you have been unable to deal with that as well. You are beginning to disappoint me, and that is not a wise thing to do. Uchiha Itachi does not fail. Do not make me begin to think otherwise."

Itachi did not reply; he was not expected to. The clench of his jaw was hidden by the darkness around them.

"I know that you are both highly capable—you would not be in this organization otherwise. You captured the Yonbi with no problems. I realize that as the most powerful, the Kyuubi is the most difficult to obtain, and the jinchuuriki who hosts it is sure to be even more powerful now than the last time you encountered him. I am also aware that unlike most other vessels, this one is actually cared for and protected by his people. That is why I am sending Deidara and Tobi, who have no priority objectives at the moment, to assist you in the capture of the vessel Uzumaki Naruto. You have six months. If at the end of those six months you two have still not captured the vessel, I will be forced to reevaluate your usefulness to this organization."

"Understood," replied Itachi, toneless as ever.

Leader said nothing more, merely fixed his hawkish gaze on each of them in turn and nodded once before his image flickered out.

The two remaining figures stood perfectly still for a moment before they too vanished, and the vast, empty cavern was enveloped in blackness once more.

#

Under the large rock outcropping they occupied, Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes from his meditation and fixed his cold, crimson gaze on his partner.

Kisame opened his own eyes a moment later and immediately a scowl fell across his shark-like features. He shot a disturbed look at his stoic partner. "Well that's it. We're fucked."

"Calm yourself. Your outburst is not helping."

"Calm myself? You heard what he said. He's going to kill us both if we don't catch that little shithead Uzumaki in the next six months." Kisame reached for Samehada and stood up, began pacing in frustration.

"I understood his meaning as well as you did."

"I know you're pissed about the things he said to you."

"I do not get 'pissed.'"

"Bullshit."

Itachi didn't dignify that comment with a reply. Kisame continued pacing while his partner remained unmoving and expressionless. "This isn't good. You may be the mighty Uchiha Itachi, but Leader can still rip you a new one."

"I am aware of that, Kisame."

"How the hell can you be so calm?"

No answer.

The shark-man groaned in frustration. "And now on top of this, your goddamn brother's on the loose and looking for you. We ain't got time for distractions from that fucked-up little reject."

"Your observations are pointless."

"Well _you're_ the genius; you think of something." Kisame seemed to finally run out of steam and sat down roughly on the ground.

Itachi remained silent, his brilliant mind working to come up with a solution. The Kyuubi vessel and his brother were connected, so the best solution would be one that would take care of both problems, possibly even at the same time.

He recalled everything he knew about Uzumaki Naruto and his relationship with Sasuke. Both from Konoha, therefore both driven by the heart rather than the mind. Easily manipulated by emotion. Sasuke tried to pretend otherwise, but Itachi had proven the vulnerability of his brother's feelings time and again. Uzumaki was an obvious bleeding-heart type and could be driven to reckless and irrational behavior by even the smallest things.

Sasuke was actively hunting him, but hadn't been able to find him. He never would, unless Itachi deliberately made the trail easier to follow. He knew that capturing Naruto would bring his brother to him faster, but it was getting ahold of the Kyuubi vessel in the first place that was proving difficult.

Suddenly Itachi was struck by an idea. He would take a page out of Orochimaru's book. The snake Sannin had lured Sasuke away from Konoha by manipulating him with something he wanted very badly, driving him to the point of recklessness. Itachi knew _he_ was his brother's ultimate goal and extra manipulation wasn't necessary. If only he could push Naruto in the same way, bring him out and drive him straight into his trap.

There had to be something that connected the two, something that would make them both come running straight to him. They were childhood friends, former teammates under the guidance of the Copy Ninja. But he couldn't use Hatake Kakashi in his plan. His brother and the Kyuubi were going to be enough to handle without bringing _him_ into it. Besides, he didn't think it would be enough incentive for either boy.

No, there had to be something else, something precious to both of them, something…

It hit him suddenly what that something was: the kunoichi. The little girl on Hatake's team.

Sakura. That was her name. All he knew of her now was that she had become a medic. Of _course_ she had. She was exactly the kind of softhearted, simpering waste of air that foolish, overly hormonal idiots with hero complexes like Uzumaki and his brother sacrificed themselves for. From what he had witnessed, she was a pathetic excuse for a ninja that should never have been let out of the academy. She was the ideal incentive to lure his prey.

They would be furious, and they would come for him like rabid dogs. Yes, the pretty little kunoichi would be the perfect bait.


	2. Confusion and Surprises

**Perception**

Chapter Two:Confusion and Surprises

* * *

"Goodnight, Sakura-senpai!" a cheery voice called from somewhere down the hall.

"Night, Yumiko-san," Sakura answered, waving to the receptionist as she made her way to the hospital staff room. She removed the white coat identifying her as senior staff and hung it in her locker. Then she plopped down on one of the worn-out armchairs that had quite possibly been there for the last fifty years. She started to readjust the leather straps on her knee-high boots, but paused when she heard the sound of someone running down the hall.

Suddenly Yumiko flung herself ungraciously through the door, breathing heavily from her mad dash. "Oh...good, you're still here! I forgot to tell you; Shizune-senpai needed to talk to you. I was supposed to tell you if I saw you."

"Okay. I'll find her on my way out. Thanks."

"No problem!" Yumiko gave a short wave and left.

Sakura finished with her bootstraps and left the staff room, heading for the sector Shizune was working in today. She found her in a small exam room, engaged in a playful – and if Sakura wasn't mistaken, _flirtatious_ – conversation with her patient. She knocked politely against the doorframe before entering.

Shiranui Genma sat atop the exam table in the center of the room, hands behind him on the flat surface for support, legs swinging idly off the edge of the table. Sakura could have _sworn_ that just as she poked her head into the room she'd seen Shizune nonchalantly back away from in-between Genma's open legs. The smug look on the laid-back jounin's handsome face told her that was _exactly_ what she'd seen.

Schooling a straight expression, Shizune turned to her fellow medic. "Hey, Sakura."

"Heeey, Sakura," her patient drawled.

"Hey Shizune. Hey there, Genma. How's it going?" she asked him, a knowing smirk on her lips.

"Never better." He grinned, the ever-present senbon clicking between his teeth.

"That's great to hear, though not the usual response from someone admitted to the hospital," she returned smoothly.

"Who could be upset when you have the best medic around to fix you up?" he shrugged impishly. "No offense."

"None taken. I understand how Shizune would be preferable for you," she swore she saw said medic struggle not to choke, "being your teammate and all," she finished slyly. "You don't look all that hurt, how did you end up here anyway? Stab your tongue with a senbon again?"

"My arm actually. Tricky little things, senbon."

"Indeed. Funny how it keeps happening…" She was dangerously close to breaking into giggles when Shizune cut off their playful intimations.

"Okay, I think we're all done here, Genma," the thoroughly embarrassed brunette informed.

"Am I all better, Doctor? Do I get a lollipop for being a good boy?" His warm hazel eyes fixed on Shizune with a decidedly _un_-innocent twinkle.

Shizune rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh, slapping him playfully on the arm. "Get out."

Genma chuckled and stood, inclining his head toward his teammate. "I'll see you later for training, Shizune-chan." He strolled out of the room, flashing Sakura a winning smile as he left. "Later, Sakura."

"See ya." She crossed the room and lifted herself onto the table, staring pointedly at Shizune, trying hard not to laugh. "He's a good guy. Not to mention hot." Shizune gave her best 'I don't know what you're talking about' look and Sakura grinned. "I'm happy for you," she added.

Shizune blushed furiously, but laughed after a moment. "Thank you," she said, finally past the point of denial. "Did you want to talk to me about something _other_ than my love life?"

"You told Yumiko you wanted to talk to me before I left?"

"Oh, right. That."

"You forgot, didn't you? See what happens when you let yourself get distracted?"

"Oh, hush." She waved a hand dismissively. "Tsunade-sama wanted to see you in her office after you finished your shift today."

"Did she say what for?"

"I think it's just a standard medic mission."

Sakura nodded. "Okay, I'll head over there now." She was a little disappointed it wasn't news about Akatsuki. She turned at the door, shooting Shizune a suggestive grin. "Have fun with your '_training_' tonight."

Shizune fixed her with a similarly knowing look. "You too."

Sakura left and made her way to the Hokage tower, mildly confused by Shizune's last comment. She had probably guessed that Sakura would be training with her team later tonight as well—more accurately, training with Kakashi—because that's what she usually did in the evenings after her hospital shifts. But what did she mean by '_you too?_' Why did she throw the innuendo back at her when it was completely unrelated?

She brushed it off and forgot about it as she entered the Hokage tower.

"You wanted to see me, Shishou?"

The Hokage waved her hand for her student to come closer and continued reading through a large pile of scrolls, her cheek resting against her raised fist. Sakura stopped before the massive desk and waited for the Godaime to speak. Tsunade finished the scroll and tossed it to the other side of the desk before finally looking up at her fidgeting apprentice. She raised a sculpted eyebrow. "What are you so antsy about? Got a hot date?"

What was with people today and their assumptions? "No, Shishou, I'm just running a bit late for training with Kakashi."

The Hokage laughed. "You're worried about being late to a meeting with _Kakashi_? That may be the funniest thing I've heard all day."

"I'm just worried that if he sees _I'm_ late, he'll take it as permission to be even _later_."

"Well," the Hokage said, "I have a short, easy mission for you."

"What is it?" It wasn't unusual for members of Team Kakashi to take simple missions for extra cash while waiting for the next Akatsuki sighting.

"A request from a town on the border of Grass country. Apparently, one of the elder councilmen there has fallen ill. They asked for you."

Sakura was taken aback. "Specifically?"

"You're surprised that people outside Fire country know of you?"

"A little, yes."

"You shouldn't be; you've made quite a reputation for yourself. You're famous in Suna."

"That's different."

"Because you saved the life of the Kazekage's brother? Or because you killed one of their most legendary S-class criminals? Things like that are what earned your reputation. I'm proud of you; you should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you, Shishou." She smiled and bowed to her mentor, her cheeks as pink as her hair. She _was_ proud of the person she'd become, and it made her happy to hear such praise from the legendary Tsunade.

"Now about the mission."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"It shouldn't take more than three days at most for you to travel there, heal the old man and come back. I know you're anxious for the next tracking assignment."

"All of us are. It's been a week since we got back. Something should be coming in soon."

"I agree. That's why we want you back as fast as possible. Here's the information. You leave in the morning."

Sakura took the scroll, reading over the mission details briefly before putting it in her vest pocket. "Understood."

"That's all, Sakura. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Shishou." Sakura left the office, closing the door behind her.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set as she entered the training grounds. After the amusing chat with Shizune and her not-so-secret lover, followed by her meeting with the Hokage, she was already an hour late to her training session. She hoped Kakashi wasn't there yet. It wouldn't look very good for her if _he_ was the punctual one.

Whenever they were home Sakura usually spent her days at the hospital and her evenings training. Although it was a rare opportunity to train as a team, it would just be her and Kakashi tonight; Naruto trained during the day so he could spend his evenings with Hinata, and Sai…well, she didn't know where Sai was, actually. He was weird like that, showing up at odd times and impossible to find at others. _Maybe he's found himself a girlfriend_, she mused, and almost laughed at the thought. Not that he wasn't attractive, but he was just so…oblivious. Besides, if he ever did get involved with anyone, Sakura would know because he would surely bombard them with shameless questions about dating and sex.

Sakura snapped instantly back to herself as her senses prickled in warning, followed a second later by a faint _whoosh_, and she leapt into the air just as five shuriken imbedded in the ground where she'd been standing. She landed several feet to the right and immediately flung a kunai with deadly precision in the direction of the attack.

A moment later her assailant emerged casually from the tree line, twirling her kunai around his index finger.

"You're late."

He chuckled softly. "So were you."

Sakura groaned inwardly at being caught tardy by _him_. "How long were you hiding there?"

The Copy Ninja bent to retrieve his shuriken. "Long enough to see you staring off into space, and I figured it would be a good time to remind you to never let your guard do—"

Sakura's foot flew toward the blind side of Kakashi's bent head so fast he barely managed to dodge. "What's that you were saying?"

Kakashi rubbed his forearm where he'd blocked her before rolling out of harm's way. "Feisty tonight, aren't we?"

She pulled her gloves out of her vest, slowly and deliberately pulling them on while grinning wickedly at her former sensei. "Always."

Kakashi stood to his full height. "Well let's get started then. Taijutsu?"

"Sounds good."

"Sharingan or no Sharingan?"

"Sharingan," she answered confidently. "Chakra or no chakra?"

"Preferably no chakra. I'd like to avoid any broken bones tonight." He lifted his hitai-ate to reveal the crimson orb.

"Just a little," she countered. "I need the extra speed against the Sharingan, anyway. I'll try not to hit too hard."

"If you do you'll be spending the rest of the night healing me."

"Is that so?"

"Damn right," he answered, and then came at her full speed.

They battled back and forth, attacking, dodging, blocking, and counterattacking with well practiced skill. Sakura was fast, but Kakashi was always a little faster, especially with the Sharingan exposed. With the small amount of chakra infused into her muscles she was easily as strong as him, but eventually, with his years of combat experience and the inevitably unbeatable Sharingan, he began to overpower her.

Once forced onto the defensive, she tried to throw him off by infusing her foot with chakra and slamming her heel into the ground, creating a rift in the hard-packed dirt. He had to sidestep the small crater and for a fraction of time he was off balance. She used the opening to punch him squarely in the face. He grunted in pain as her gloved fist smashed into his chin. She quickly jumped away before he could recover, and knowing he was coming for her, she launched three shuriken and slid into a low fighting crouch. The silver and black blur coming at her suddenly dodged her throw and vanished.

Sakura lost sight of him for only a second but she knew she was screwed. She _hated_ when he did that. If you ever lost track of the Copy Ninja in a fight it was guaranteed you were about to get a nasty surprise.

No sooner had she finished the thought than an arm wrapped tightly around her neck and another around her middle, pinning her arms to her sides. The cold steel tip of the kunai pressed against her throat and ribcage from both of his hands. She felt his breath against her ear. "That was cheating," he growled mutedly.

Sakura disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi was surprised she'd reacted fast enough to create a shadow clone without his Sharingan seeing it. Naruto must have taught her how to make shadow clones without hand seals. He _was_ impressed until, rather than using her escape to hide among the trees, she reappeared several feet in front of him with her hands on her hips. He stared at her blankly.

She stuck out her tongue at him.

He threw both kunai at her. Melodic laughter rang out in the night as she leapt away. From that point on, their 'taijutsu only' training session became a contest to see who could throw and dodge the most weapons as they took to the trees. Projectiles of every variety flew through the air: shuriken, kunai, senbon, rocks…though most of those were gleefully thrown by Sakura as she laughed at her former sensei.

After several minutes of this, Sakura was beginning to feel the strain of fatigue. Kakashi would be as well; he could only go so long with the Sharingan exposed before he risked passing out mid-fight from chakra drain.

She dropped from the trees back into the main clearing, and was just starting to wonder where Kakashi was when she saw him in a tree to her left. He launched a barrage of shuriken at her and dodged. He anticipated her and was waiting when she got there. She raised her forearm to block his punch, spinning around and aiming a roundhouse kick at his head. He caught her leg in his hand just as she expected him to, and she threw her hands on the ground and brought her other leg up in a second attack. He caught that too with his other hand, like she knew he would. She was now in a handstand with her legs twisted in Kakashi's grip, and he had no more hands to block with. She quickly elbowed him hard in the back of his knee, making sure to tuck in her head to avoid being kneed in the face as his leg gave out and he crashed to the ground.

Kakashi wasn't able to stop himself from falling, but he was able to haul her body around his and twist so that she was below him, forcing her to take the brunt of the impact as they slammed into the hard-packed earth.

The breath was nearly knocked from her lungs as the full weight of Kakashi's torso fell on top of her as her back hit the ground beneath. It infuriated her that he pulled off a trick like that. The man was so damn _fast_. "Ow," she panted dazedly, eyes staring unfocussed at the starry night sky. She regained her breath and focused on Kakashi, who still lay heavily on top of her much smaller frame.

He pulled down his mask to reveal the dark swelling bruise on his chin. The corner of his lip was split wide open and a line of dried blood trickled down from the cut. "Ow," he echoed in a tone that said '_now we're even_.' The expression on his face could only be described as a pout.

Sakura fought down a giggle and admired her handiwork, but the guilt of hurting him quickly set in and she looked up at him sheepishly. He tried to smile to show he wasn't really angry, but winced and hissed faintly as his lip stretched. It was a deep cut; any harder and she would have knocked out a tooth.

She placed her fingertips over Kakashi's lips, her hand glowing a pale green as the healing chakra began to repair his damaged face. The space between them held a faint glow, and Kakashi watched her illuminated face as she healed him. It took only moments for the evidence of their scuffle to disappear completely. Sakura ran her thumb across his undamaged lip, reaching the corner of his mouth and trailing down to remove the tiny trickle of dried blood, smiling in satisfaction.

Kakashi didn't move a muscle, continued to watch her intently. It suddenly dawned on Sakura how intimate their position was. The thought didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. What _was_ getting to her was the way Kakashi was staring, at her as if searching for something, and though she wasn't exactly uncomfortable, she decided now would be a good time to move.

"You're kind of heavy, you know," she teased to break the awkward silence.

He blinked at the sound of her voice, and then gave her an eye-crinkling smile before moving off her and standing. She immediately felt the loss of warmth on her chest and stomach. He lowered his hitai-ate back down over the Sharingan and pulled the bloodstained mask up over his nose. She took the hand he offered and stood up, brushing the dirt off her clothes.

It wasn't until they had finished gathering their weapons that Kakashi spoke again. "Do you have anything else planned tonight?"

"I'm supposed to meet Naruto and Hinata for dinner at Ichiraku in a little while. Want to come?"

He didn't answer immediately. "No…I'm not really up for socializing tonight." He looked away into the trees.

"You're never up for socializing, Kakashi."

"True." He fell quiet again, then said, "You want to train again tomorrow?"

"I can't. Tsunade-sama is sending me on a quick medic mission in the morning. I should be back in three days at most."

"Ah. Okay then." He flashed her a smile she knew was fake. "I'll see you when you get back. Night, Sakura." He disappeared.

"Goodnight," she answered quietly to the empty night air.

That was weirder than usual for him. Was it something she said? She shrugged to herself. If he wanted her to know he would tell her. She brushed the thought aside and left the training field.

#

Ichiraku ramen was located in the heart of the village. It had always been the most likely place to find Naruto when you needed him. Combine that with the fact that he was constantly dragging any and all of his friends to eat there, and the result was that Team Kakashi just came to think of it as their usual hangout as well. She wasn't surprised to find Naruto and Hinata already there, seated side by side.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved happily and patted the empty stool on his other side.

Hinata's friendly greeting was more subdued. "Hi, Sakura."

"Hey guys." Sakura took a seat, noting without surprise that he'd started without her and already had a half empty bowl in front of him. The well-mannered Hyuuga heiress had waited, but she was accepting the small mouthfuls of noodles Naruto kept offering her from his own chopsticks.

Sakura smiled at her lovestruck friends. Hinata was probably the only person in the world Naruto would let eat precious ramen out of his own bowl. Ayame, the owner's daughter, came over with a smile. "Good evening, Sakura," she said warmly, "Shrimp ramen as usual tonight?"

"Yes, please."

"Another miso and pork ramen with egg for me!" Naruto flashed a huge grin as he held up his empty bowl. "You want anything Hinata-chan?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I'll just share with you if that's okay."

"You're so cute, Hinata-chan." He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose, making her blush.

Sakura turned in her seat, leaning her elbow on the counter. "So how was your guys' day?"

"It went well, thank you," Hinata replied.

Naruto shrugged. "Ah, same old boring stuff. Trained all morning with Sai, ate lunch here, then trained all afternoon with Fuzzy-Brows. But then I met up with Hinata and my day got _much_ better!"

"Do you know where Sai is?"

"Hell if I know where he goes when he's not with us. Probably either painting a masterpiece or picking a fight. What else does he ever do?"

Sakura couldn't argue with that. She straightened as their food was brought out. Naruto immediately shoveled a huge mouthful of noodles, and then gathered up a much smaller one, which he offered to Hinata. Training had worked up quite an appetite, and Sakura promptly grabbed a set of chopsticks and dug into her own steaming bowl.

"How about you, Sakura?" Hinata returned politely.

"Busy. I spent all day at the hospital before picking up a mission for the morning, and then I trained with Kakashi before coming here." Naruto shot her a sly glance. He always looked remarkably fox-like when he got that expression. Why _did_ he have that expression? "What?"

"How'd that go?"

"It was just taijutsu. I busted his lip open when I punched him too hard, so I had to heal it, other than that is was fine. Why?"

"No reason."

Sakura didn't believe him at all. He obviously had an opinion about something and he wasn't willing to share it with her, though it looked like he'd shared it with Hinata, judging from the similar look on her face. "Whatever." She went back to her ramen.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while, and Sakura stole occasional glances at the oblivious couple beside her.

Hinata had changed a lot since their genin days. If someone had told the shy girl back then that one day she'd have Uzumaki Naruto hopelessly in love with her and wrapped around her finger she would have dropped to the floor in a dead faint. But the former shrinking violet had grown into a more confident young woman, not to mention incredibly beautiful with her long blue-black hair, pale flawless skin and a figure Sakura could only wish for. When Naruto came back to Konoha after three years away and saw Hinata again he practically had to be mopped up off the floor, and he'd been shocked to finally learn she'd harbored feelings for him for years. Naruto thought he was the luckiest man alive and had no qualms about showing it or telling anyone who would listen. He was the most affectionate, doting guy Sakura had ever seen, which was somewhat rare among shinobi.

"You're awfully quiet tonight Sakura-chan," Naruto remarked, before stuffing his face again.

She shrugged. "I'm just tired I guess."

"Uhmm!" He started suddenly, remembering, and swallowed the huge lump of noodles before continuing. "You said Baa-chan gave you a mission?"

She nodded. "Just a quick medic mission to Grass in the morning."

"Sounds boring," he decided, and fed Hinata another bite.

It _was_ boring, but it was quick extra cash and that never hurt.

Some broth had gotten onto Hinata's chin, and Naruto chuckled and promptly leaned over to kiss it off, making her smile. He leaned in again kissing her lips this time, and after a moment he effortlessly hauled the petite girl off her stool and deposited her onto his lap before wrapping his arms around her and going in for another kiss.

Hinata let out a small squeak and giggled. When she pulled back she was red as a beet. "Naruto-kun… I think we're making Sakura uncomfortable," she said quietly, their very public display of affection in front of Sakura and the whole street making _her_ uncomfortable more than anything. Naruto just grinned and nuzzled his nose into her long, midnight hair.

Sakura smiled at them. She knew that Hinata's discomfort was due more to her ingrained sense of propriety and etiquette than actual shyness; she was loving every second of it. However, that didn't stop her from being embarrassed when someone on the street behind them called out a teasing "_Woooooo!_"

Ino was waving at them, her skinny arm linked tightly in Chouji's brawny one. The couple approached and Sakura noticed they looked almost as giddily happy as the couple on the stool beside her. No one would have believed the beautiful, conceited Ino would fall for someone like sweet, selfless Chouji, including Chouji himself. But here they were. Asuma's death had changed the way she looked at life. Mostly.

"Heeey, Forehead! Hi, Hinata, Naruto. What's up?" Ino greeted in her confident, slightly abrasive voice.

"Hey guys," Chouji echoed.

"Hi, Pig. Hi, Chouji."

"Would you and Chouji-kun like to join us?" Hinata asked politely.

Chouji was about to say yes, but Ino put her arms around him and squeezed. "Oh, no thanks. We're on our way to meet Shikamaru for barbecue. He's leaving for Suna tomorrow on a diplomatic mission, but we all know what he's _really_ going to that boring, hot desert for," she said deviously.

"I can't believe such a bossy, violent woman has that lazy Shikamaru wrapped around her finger," Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

"_I_ can; he's exactly like his old man," said Ino. "Well anyway, we gotta get going before my big bear here starts to have barbecue withdrawals." She linked her arm with Chouji's again and began to haul him down the street. "Later!" she called over her shoulder. Chouji waved with his free arm before the unlikely couple disappeared around the corner.

"I should get going too. I still need to pack for the mission." Sakura said, standing. She placed a few bills on the bar. "I'll see you when I get back, Naruto. Bye, Hinata."

"Goodnight, Sakura. Thank you for joining us."

"Have fun, Sakura-chan! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"That's not saying much!" she called over her shoulder as she waved goodnight.

#

At home she took a long, hot shower to soothe her hard-worked muscles and then packed for her mission in the morning, filling her bag with a few medical scrolls, a change of clothes, a few toiletries, and a traveling cloak in case of rain. When finished, she made sure her doors and windows were locked and chakra sealed, then crawled into bed and thought over the events of the day.

On the surface, her life seemed just about perfect; she had great friends, a respected career, and she was young and healthy. But there were missing pieces that kept her from being completely happy. One of them was Sasuke; she just wouldn't feel whole again until that part of her life was resolved, for good or bad. Another was love. Sakura had plenty of love; her friends loved her and she loved them, but it wasn't the same as romance. Sakura told herself she was young, she had time…but in the life of a shinobi, that wasn't always the case. You had to live to the fullest because everyday was unpredictable and just might be your last.

Sometimes she couldn't help feeling jealous of her friends' happiness. Almost all of them had someone special in their lives—mostly with each other. It was funny how her generation had stuck together through everything, remaining friends and eventually finding love in the same circle. Tenten had been involved with Neji since they were still genin. Even Shikamaru had found someone to love his lazy ass. The biggest surprise had been Ino, who proved she wasn't as shallow and superficial as people thought when she confessed to loving Chouji. The only singles in her age group were herself, Lee and Sai, and presumably Sasuke. Lee would never get a girl unless he stopped being so damn _intense_. Sai didn't notice girls yet as far as she knew, and Sasuke was fixated on other things. As for herself…she guessed she didn't really have a reason. Love just hadn't found her yet.

In her younger years she believed she was saving herself for Sasuke, but she grew up and got over _that_ idea a long time ago. It was a ridiculous assumption made by a foolish little girl about a boy who had given her no reason whatsoever to have such ideas in the first place. Once she accepted that fact she came to realize that her infatuation had been purely superficial, and she hadn't known the real Sasuke _at all_. Once she got to know the _real_ Sasuke, she discovered she truly did care deeply for the troubled boy. After he left she was confused by her feelings for some time, but eventually came to understand that just because you cared for someone _and_ found them attractive didn't mean you were in love with them. If that were the case she would be in love with her entire team.

No, the difference between love and _in love_ was an indefinable something that just couldn't be explained, and she didn't feel that—for anyone. That was why at eighteen she was still single and relatively inexperienced. Two years ago she'd had a brief relationship with Izumo and it had been fun and easy, but due to a general lack of chemistry and common interests, it fizzled out after a few months. After that Sakura didn't have the opportunity or the inclination to get involved with anyone else, and she figured she just didn't have a place in her life for romance. Maybe once they got Sasuke back she could try her hand at love again.

Eventually her eyes grew heavy and her mind cleared as sleep finally took her.

* * *

It was just past midday when Sakura arrived in the location of her assignment. Her destination was only a few miles from the border of Fire country and the journey had been short and uncomplicated.

The town was bigger than she thought it would be, and the main thoroughfare was noisy and lively. The rows of cramped vendor stalls and the bustling crowd indicated she'd arrived on market day. She cautiously nudged and elbowed her way through the mass; she didn't like large crowds and strangers getting so close to her. It was the natural paranoia brought on by her lifestyle, and she guarded her pack and person closely as she fought through the herd and finally pushed through to the center of town. The councilman's residence was fairly simple to locate as it was faced a wide commercial plaza. Soon Sakura was standing in front of a large, affluent townhouse.

She walked up the porch steps and knocked on the door. After several moments a wizened maid answered and looked at her curiously. "May I help you, Miss?" the maid asked somewhat condescendingly.

"Hello. I'm Haruno Sakura, the medic from Konoha that Councilman Iwasaki requested."

The woman looked at her strangely. "Medic? No one requested any medic here."

Frowning, Sakura quickly pulled out the mission scroll and looked it over. "What? I was sure I had the right address…this is the residence of Councilman Iwasaki, right?"

"Yes it is, Miss, but the Councilman did not request a medic because he is not ill. It appears your information is incorrect. If you don't mind, I have other duties to attend. Good day." She shut the door in Sakura's face.

Sakura barely noticed the woman's rudeness. Something was wrong. Did they get the wrong name? This was the only town near the border so she couldn't be in the wrong place. Alarms were going off in her head and her instincts were on full alert. She backed away from the door. As unlikely as it seemed, she got the sinking feeling she'd been set up.

It was a trap.

Sakura tensed and her blood ran cold as she suddenly felt the distinct prickle of malicious chakra in the plaza behind her.

It appeared all at once, out of nowhere. They had been hiding until now, lying in wait for her. She tried to conceal her growing fear, but knew they knew she was aware of them. These were no ordinary shinobi; their chakra was heavy and unmistakably deadly, and the weight of it pressed down on her, causing her heart to slam against her ribcage. She fought to keep from shaking as she slowly turned around to confirm her suspicion.

_Akatsuki._

There were four. No one had ever survived and encounter with _four_ Akatsuki. No one even survived against _one_ if they were as alone as Sakura.

They spanned the plaza in a wide arc, their dark intent swirling around them like invisible smoke. All were cloaked and wore concealing hats, but Sakura noticed one of them was enormous and carried a huge, wrapped sword. She recognized him instantly as Hoshigake Kisame. That could only mean that one of the other three was Uchiha Itachi.

How ironic that after all the years her team had searched for these two, she had just encountered them, and the rest of her team was nowhere around. She was completely and utterly alone. They had come for _her_. This trap was specifically set for Sakura; she had been requested by name.

There was no time to ponder what they wanted because one of them suddenly came at her with blinding speed. Sakura calculated the speed of his movement and dropped low to the ground just in time to avoid his punch, swinging her leg out to trip him. He avoided it with ease and spun away from her deadly legs. She jumped up and charged at her opponent with all the speed her chakra enhanced legs could give her.

Everything she had ever learned came down to _right now_; she would need to give it all she had if she was going to survive this.

Her opponent was surprised that she had attacked him outright. He blocked her kick with his thigh as he sidestepped her, and was stunned by the jarring impact behind what was only a glancing blow.

They fought back and forth, the Akatsuki working to dodge her deadly strikes and returning his own, some of which she blocked, and some she couldn't. He received several lacerations from her kunai. She managed to knock the straw hat from his head and saw his face was covered by an orange, spiraled mask with a single eyehole. She also noticed that her enemy had no weapons drawn and that the other three Akatsuki hadn't moved from their positions, merely continued to watch.

Sakura didn't know what they wanted, but they damn well weren't going to get it. If they had come to capture her—which seemed to be the case—then they may as well kill her because she wasn't going to help them in any way. If killing her _was_ what they came to do, she was going to make at least one of them pay dearly for her life before it ended.

Her opponent suddenly vanished. Sakura knew _that_ jutsu. She gathered chakra into her feet and leapt into the air, slamming her heels down hard on the ground below.

A wide crater filled with dust and debris now stood where Sakura had been, the mosaic stones of the plaza reduced to rubble. Many of the villagers came running at all the noise and destruction. She hoped they had enough sense to stay out of the way. Sakura sensed moving chakra under the earth and was surprised he'd managed to remain underground after her attack. She was waiting when he burst up from the ground and slammed her knee into his middle, sending him flying back a several yards to crash into the building behind them, leaving a body sized indent in the wall. Sakura was on him instantly, grabbing the nearly unconscious shinobi by the back of his cloak and lifting him a foot off the ground. She cocked her chakra-laden fist back and was about to deliver a blow that would shatter his skull when the wind was suddenly knocked out of her and she flew backwards.

She hit the opposite wall hard. Her vision cleared just in time to see the Akatsuki that had thrown her bearing down on her nearly too fast to see. She aimed a punch at his head as he reached her, and as he dodged he made the mistake of catching her fist in his hand. He growled in pain as the chakra-infused impact shattered every bone in his hand. His other hand flew out and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her back against the wall. This close Sakura could see his features under the straw hat clearly. Deidara. His icy blue eyes and the pale blond hair covering half his face made him instantly recognizable. That, and the disturbing feeling of the mouth in his hand biting down hard on her jugular where he held her against the wall. If she tried to get away he would rip her throat out.

Sakura was caught. There was no getting out of the deadly hold, and to try would literally be suicide. But she wouldn't go down easily. She had promised to make them pay for it. One of them was nearly dead, and the one before her was seriously injured. His hand shook with strain and what must be excruciating pain, but Deidara held her balled fist tightly.

A plan formed in her mind, and her eyes glinted with anticipation. He narrowed his eyes and she flashed him a fierce, bloody smile before gathering a last rush of chakra, throwing her weight behind her shoulder, and shoving her fist further into his palm. His hand barely moved an inch, but she heard the remaining bones in his wrist and forearm give a sickening crack as they too fractured under the added impact. He snarled viciously and slammed his knee into her stomach. She gasped and choked and would have doubled over if he wasn't holding her in place. His face was full of rage underlined with intense pain, his glare so murderous that she was sure he would kill her on the spot.

Sakura was one of the strongest kunoichi in the world and she would not die like a coward. She looked her enemy in the eye and hoped it would be fast. Though after what she just did to him, she didn't think it would be.

Her vision blurred as the chokehold blocked her air passage. Just enough focus remained to notice Deidara glance to his left as a blurry dark shape appeared behind him. He glared at her once more and gave her a lip-curling sneer, roughly shoving her further into the wall by the throat before letting go. Sakura fell to the ground weakly as the he moved away, gasping for breath as her vision cleared. She soon wished it hadn't, for as she looked up at the new presence looming over her she was filled with a sickening fear.

_Itachi_. She could feel swirling crimson boring into her and she closed her eyes tight to fight the magnetic pull of those deadly eyes. If he was going to kill her he would have to do it the old-fashioned way. He didn't move, merely stared down at her as if waiting. She didn't disappoint; swiftly pulling out her last kunai and making a stab at his femoral artery in a final display of defiance. She was exhausted and out of chakra and nowhere near fast enough to land a hit on _this_ shinobi. Itachi sidestepped her easily and kneed her in the flank, sending her sprawling onto her back. Sakura curled into a ball as blood filled her mouth and it became increasingly difficult to breathe. Still she refused to look at him. Regular death would be much quicker and less painful than the one the Tsukiyomi would bring.

He knelt down next to her, a slightly curious expression on his face as he watched her. There was a slight rustle of fabric before his hand came down hard on the back of her neck and rendered her unconscious.

Itachi stood slowly, assessing the unconscious kunoichi at his feet. How unexpected. He was irritated yet impressed, and even a bit amused by the fight she gave. They had intended to make a big show to attract as much civilian attention as possible, but this petite girl had caused more of a commotion than they had planned. He didn't look up as Kisame appeared behind him, followed by Deidara with an unconscious Tobi slung over his shoulder. Deidara was livid; his hand was trembling badly with pain despite his best efforts at control and he was less than thrilled about having to carry his half-dead partner. The four Akatsuki paid no attention to the growing crowd around them.

"That was…interesting. This game ought to be a fun one, Itachi." Kisame took a last look at the unconscious girl and laughed before walking away. Deidara glared at Itachi in obvious outrage, but whatever he wanted to say would have to wait until later.

"If any ANBU are in the area we don't want them to interfere," Itachi said. "The invitation is for the jinchuuriki and my brother only. Discussion can wait until we are away from here."

"Hmph." Deidara gave the kunoichi another angry glare and stalked away.

Itachi was certain he'd broken a few of her ribs, and he couldn't risk the kunoichi puncturing a lung if he carried her over his shoulder so he knelt down, picked her up bridal style and leapt with ease onto the rooftop. His companions quickly joined him, and the group of cloaked shinobi left the village without a backward glance.


	3. Hindsight's 2020

**Perception**

Chapter Three: Hindsight's 20/20

* * *

Somewhere in Grass country, three shinobi walked down a dusty, old dirt road. The tallest one, the obvious leader with an aura of dark power surrounding him, walked in front. The others followed not too far behind.

The vicious-looking one with the enormous sword was the first to break their long silence, his petulant voice disturbing the quiet summer day. "How much farther is this damn place, Sasuke?"

The tall man in front didn't acknowledge the question, merely continued walking.

"See this dirt road? When it starts to become paved it means we're getting close. _Idiot_," the third, a tall young woman, answered instead.

"No one asked for you input, _Karin_. Don't be such a bitch."

"Then don't ask such stupid questions, _Suigetsu_." They said each other's names like dirty words, insulting the other with mere acknowledgement.

Sasuke ignored them. They were idiots; constantly bickering and often coming to blows over inanities. They would probably kill each other if he didn't keep them in line. It was times like this when he wished he'd left Sound by himself after defeating Orochimaru. Karin and Suigetsu were useful at times, but their personalities would test the patience of anyone. And Sasuke had little patience.

The only member of Hebi that Sasuke could truly stand was Juugo, and he was gone. His insanity was beyond help thanks to Orochimaru's experiments, and eventually his homicidal madness grew beyond control. He attacked them in their sleep one night, nearly killing Karin. Sasuke had tried to rein him in like all the times before, but he had finally snapped, and Sasuke was forced to end his life. Perhaps it was mercy, perhaps he had done the tortured man a favor, but it still haunted him. He supposed he could never be the emotionless killer his brother was, and he no longer wanted to be. He'd sat around the fire many nights talking quietly with the subdued side of Juugo, and had felt a kinship with him. Sasuke hoped that wherever people like himself and Juugo went after death, he had finally found peace.

Sasuke had thought a lot about Team Seven during the six years since he'd left Konoha. Was Kakashi still outwardly cool but inwardly haunted? Was Naruto closer to achieving his dream of Hokage? Had Sakura finally found her own strength? He held many regrets about those days, and there were many things he would have done differently in retrospect. It had taken living among the foulest and cruelest of humankind to finally appreciate how nice it was to have somebody give a damn about him.

During his three years in Sound he had come to understand many things. His days were spent training to become as powerful as he could be, to further his goal for revenge. But his nights were spent alone, with only his memories and conscience for company. He'd thought he could do everything by himself, that having friends made him weak. That as a twelve year old kid he could take on one of the most powerful ninja in the world and win. That he could disrespect and ignore the advice and guidance of shinobi with far more experience and power. He lost so many opportunities due to his pride, thinking that in the end he had only one option.

Sasuke had done wrong by so many people, none more than his closest friends. His _only_ friends. He could admit now that he missed them. How many times had he wished it was them walking this path with him, and not the two currently following? He wondered if they still thought of him. If they hated him. He wouldn't blame them if they did. Would they forgive him?

None of it mattered anyway. He couldn't go back or change anything. He had chosen his path, and he had chosen to walk it alone. True, he had companions, but they didn't understand him and never could. They were here for their own selfish reasons.

Sasuke was aware now that his brother had manipulated him badly, twisted his way of thinking. Even Itachi didn't believe half the things he'd said to torment Sasuke. It was all to drive him over the edge of reason, and it had worked. While it was true Itachi believed emotional ties made one weak, even _he_ didn't get to where he was alone. Akatsuki was a group of individuals, but it was a group nonetheless. They may not care about each other personally, but they accepted support and teamwork, something Sasuke had blindly overlooked and refused on his own path to power.

It was still his goal to kill his brother, but not for entirely the same reasons. Before, his burning rage and hatred were fueled by selfishness. Itachi had taken everything from him, ruined _his_ life, stolen _his_ happiness, tainted _his_ future. He'd tormented him, twisted his mind, pointed out his failures and rubbed them in his face, held his weaknesses up for the world to see. He had humiliated him. Those were all selfish reasons, anger at what had been done to _him_. He wanted revenge. He _needed_ revenge.

At night, in the darkness of his cell, Sasuke had thought over and over about _why_. Why did Itachi do it? Why did he leave him alive? Why did Sasuke need revenge so badly? Many nights of soul-searching led him to one conclusion: he didn't need revenge, he needed justice.

The Uchiha were a proud and arrogant clan. Many, like his father, were cold and unloving, raising their children mercilessly as tools to further the Uchiha agenda. Sasuke had gained enough perspective to see that. One could play the devil's advocate and say that they reaped what they sowed. If he was honest with himself, Sasuke couldn't completely blame his brother for becoming exactly what his clan wanted him to be; the perfect, emotionless killing machine. But Itachi was clearly insane, and his justification for the murder of his entire clan made no sense. Sometimes Sasuke wondered if that wasn't the real reason, if there was a hidden secret regarding the Uchiha massacre that he wasn't aware of.

But not all Uchiha had been like his father and the elders. Wives whose only fault had been following their husbands blindly, children who were used as pawns in a power-play against other clans, toddlers and infants sleeping in their cribs; all had been mercilessly slaughtered. They didn't deserve to die like that. It was his duty to bring justice to them, and he would even if it cost his life.

It had already cost him part of his soul. He despised the fact that Orochimaru's power now resided in him. He felt tainted, unclean. Some of the knowledge he gained during the backfired soul transfer disgusted him, and he vowed never to use some of the jutsu of which he was now capable. He hated what he had to become just to stand against the ruthless brilliance of his brother. A demon for a demon.

He scratched absently at the curse seal on his shoulder, a permanent reminder of his bad judgment. It no longer flared up unless he called it, but it still gave him phantom pains, burned into his nerves from the agony he'd lived with for so long. The more he had tried to fight it, the more painful it became. The closer his proximity to Orochimaru, the more it controlled his emotions and thinking. It fueled his rage and hatred, clouded his rational thinking. The sort of tunnel vision it caused had driven him to nearly kill his best friend, twice.

"Hey look, the road is turning into cobblestones. I think were close."

"You really are stupid, you know that?"

"What the fuck, Karin! I'm just saying what you said earlier!"

"Ugh. At least not all men are morons like you."

"What, you mean like _Sasuke-kun_?" the mist ninja mocked in a high, feminine voice. "_Oh Sasuke-kun, you're so cuuute! You're amazing Sasuke-kun, won't you please pop my cherry?_"

"Shut the fuck up _Suigetsu_, I don't talk like that!" A fight was clearly about to break out.

"Riiight."

"Enough. Both of you shut up. We're almost there." Sasuke's calm, hard voice was a clear warning.

"I hope these villagers don't blow smoke up our asses like last time."

"I hope they have a whorehouse."

"Ugh. Who would want to fuck _you_? Even whores can't be that desperate."

Suigetsu was about to reply with another snarky comeback when they both felt a wave of murderous intent from the man in front of them. He made the wise decision to keep his mouth shut until they reached town.

Sasuke really hoped they had a good lead to follow this time. Or better yet, hoped they found his brother still in town. Hebi had been in the next town over when they heard the news of a big disturbance here involving red-and-black-cloaked ninja. The sooner he found Itachi, the sooner he could be rid of these two, and the sooner he could move on with his life. If he was still living, of course.

Six years since he sold his soul for power. Six years since he abandoned all hope of a happy future and left the only good things he still had behind forever. He was so tired—tired of hunting a madman and being chased by ghosts. He was ready for it to end.

The town came into view up ahead, and he quickened his pace.

* * *

Throbbing, aching, pulsating pain hit Sakura like a tidal wave as she woke from her forcefully induced slumber. She kept her eyes closed tight and remained perfectly still as she slowly adjusted to consciousness, taking heavy, steadying breaths to fight the nausea welling inside.

Gathering what little chakra she had, she gently probed inside herself and assessed the damage to her body. The first thing she noticed was the stiffness in her neck, giving her the worst headache of her life. It was likely that a blow to the base of her skull was what had rendered her unconscious. It was also possible she had a concussion from hitting the wall. The intense pounding in her temples was making it hard to focus chakra, but she steadied her breathing and felt further. Her lip was cut and scabbed; she could feel the dried blood flaking on her face and the metallic taste of blood in her mouth and throat, causing the nausea to rise again. Her back hurt intensely from being thrown into a brick wall but there was no real damage there, thankfully. However, she could tell by the stabbing pain every time she took a breath that a few ribs were broken. The rest of her body was undamaged and she was relieved; it could have been a lot worse.

As she slowly and carefully diagnosed herself, she tried to remember exactly how each injury was acquired. The details of her hopeless battle came back to her fuzzy mind piece by piece and she smirked in mild satisfaction. At least she wasn't the only one in pain right now.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, and a few tears of pain she'd been holding back trickled out. Thankfully the room was fairly dark and the pain wasn't worsened by light. There was a little light coming from behind her, but the stiffness in her neck prevented her from looking over her shoulder. She didn't appear to be in a cell. The walls were plain paneled wood, as was the floor, but there was no furniture. The door was a simple interior door without a visible locking mechanism of any kind. The space looked exactly like a spare bedroom.

Every muscle was stiff and aching from her contorted position on the cold, hard floor, but it was nothing compared to her ribs and neck. She was lying on half on her side, half on her belly; one arm was completely numb from being pinned beneath her body, the other thrown carelessly over her side to rest on the floor. Apparently she had been unceremoniously dumped there by her captors. Not that she really expected differently.

Sakura tried to contain her terror, and concentrated on thinking. Where was she? How long had she been here? Was she still with Akatsuki or had they given her to someone else? She hoped for the former as fear of the unknown filled her. What did they want? A memory of Tsunade informing her of her famed medical skills flashed through her mind. She hadn't realized now that it had been foolish to brush it off.

The more she thought about her situation, the more her fear was overlapped by burning anger. At herself for not realizing it was a trap. At Tsunade for not vetting the mission. At whoever thought they could just _take_ her and make her do their bidding. She was just angry, period.

Her fury only grew as she recalled what had been done to her. They hadn't used any weapons or jutsu on her, just gave her an old-fashioned beatdown with their fists like common thugs. Super strong, hyperfast, overpowered thugs…but still. Then they just went and dumped her in a common bedroom with no lock on the door and a goddamn window! How weak did they think she was? Didn't they see her kick one of them halfway through a building? Didn't they know she could punch through walls? Not that she _wanted_ to be jutsu-ed within an inch of her life and kept on heavy lockdown, but their carelessness was insulting. Even after her earth-shattering demonstration in the plaza, even after seriously injuring two of them, they still didn't consider her a threat.

It burned her up inside, and she wanted nothing more than to bring this building down on top of them. But she could barely move, and every time she did her body was wracked with pain. Her chakra was still depleted as well; she didn't even have enough to heal herself. Sakura figured it had most likely been drained by the shark man's giant sword.

Sakura cursed inwardly, and accepted that she wasn't going anywhere. Even if she wasn't injured, with her chakra drained she'd have nothing to fight with but basic taijutsu, and that wouldn't get her past the door. If all four of them were still lurking around, the thought of escape was outright laughable. Her captors knew this, of course, and _that_ was why they hadn't bothered to lock her up.

The sound of footsteps echoed outside her door.

She relaxed her body and closed her eyes as the door clicked open. Attempting to feign sleep was apparently not going to work, for her captor chuckled and nudged her broken ribs with the toe of his boot. She hissed in pain and curled into herself, opening her eyes to glare hatefully at the giant man towering over her.

"Wakey wakey, princess." Kisame's pointed teeth glinted in the dark as he leered down at her. "Hope you enjoyed your nap. I know you've had a hard day."

"_Fuck you_."

"Oh ho ho! Such ugly language from such a pretty little girl! Your mouth is as dirty as you are." He walked around her in a slow circle, inspecting her. His boots clunked heavily, resonating in her ear against the floorboards. "Samehada likes the taste of your chakra, says it's sweet. I think I'm gonna enjoy having you here as well, princess."

Just as he completed his circle, a second, smaller pair of boots entered her vision. The owner moved so quietly she couldn't hear his steps over Kisame's loud thunking. If she hadn't seen him walk through the door she wouldn't have known he was there.

"Kunoichi." Itachi's smooth, deep voice echoed softly in the small room. "Why haven't you healed yourself." There was no lift in his tone to indicate he had asked a question, just a blank monotone.

Sakura nearly rolled her eyes. "I _can't_," she hissed through gritted teeth.

Itachi looked to Kisame. "You drained too much of her chakra. She can't heal herself in this state."

Kisame shrugged. "Less chakra makes her easier to deal with. She has enough to live. What does it matter if she's injured?"

"She needs to be able to move when we do. Unless you want to carry her everywhere."

Sakura thought she could hear the tiniest edge in his voice now. He was irritated. At her condition or at having to explain the obvious to Kisame, she didn't know. Kisame snorted at the suggestion, and Sakura would have done the same, but her fear of being kicked in the ribs again held her tongue. Of course they would be moving soon: Akatsuki never stayed put for long. Sakura knew that better than most.

"Fine, fine. Samehada will be disappointed." Kisame sighed, and left the room.

Sakura was now alone with Itachi, and feared what he might do. He said nothing, just continued to study her. It was unclear how long he stood over her silently. Her body hurt so much; she was about to give in to the oblivion of sleep when he finally spoke.

"You are allowed to regain your chakra, and you will use it to heal yourself." She started at the sound of his voice, and wondered angrily if he'd waited for her to drift off on purpose. "If you attempt to use chakra for anything else you will be drained again and kept that way. Do you understand?"

His tone was soft and mild, but his presence filled her with fear. It was a strange combination, but she refused to show it. "Whatever." She expected at the very least to be kicked again for her attitude, but the blow never came. After a moment he spoke again.

"Your meals will be brought to you in here. There are chakra seals all over this room, and one or more of us will be nearby at all times. You cannot escape. It would be foolish to try."

"What do you want with me?" she demanded, looking up at him for the first time. His face was hidden by shadow.

"You will find out soon enough, though I'm sure you can figure it out. For now all that's required of you is to stay in this room. You will be informed if we have other uses for you." He turned and quietly made his way to the door.

_What an arrogant bastard_. Sakura didn't care for her own safety; it was better if they killed her and got it over with. She wouldn't be complicit to their demands. "Itachi." Her voice rang out with as much strength as she could muster in her weakened state, and Itachi paused, turning his head slightly so she could just make out his profile. "Go fuck yourself," she growled.

Itachi gave no visible reaction, though she could have sworn he huffed softly before he closed the door behind him and left her in darkness.

#

Itachi walked quietly down the hall and descended the stairs. She was clearly out of her mind, or she had a death wish. None of their captives had ever displayed such hostile defiance before. Nor had they ever had the gall to insult him as she just had. The provocations might work with someone like Kisame, but Itachi was far too logical to rise to her baiting. Though truthfully, he wasn't entirely unaffected by the day's events, and he found it strange. He wasn't angry at her attitude. If anything, he was amused. It was mildly refreshing to have such an atypical hostage. She may prove to be quite entertaining before she was no longer of use to them.

The state Tobi and Deidara were in was evidence that he had been wrong about her physical weakness. Now it seemed he was wrong about her mental weakness as well. She didn't cry, beg, bargain, cower or do any of the things people in fear of their lives usually did. However, she had only been captive for a day, and that may change. They didn't bring her here to hurt or torture her, but people had broken under less.

Itachi was rarely wrong, and never twice in the same day, a fact that was not sitting well with him. What happened in the town square had been the last thing he expected from the petite girl, and it irritated him to realize he had miscalculated. Of course he wouldn't acknowledge any of that aloud, and his thoughtful expression was replaced with a blank one as he walked confidently into the dining room. His comrades looked up as he entered.

Kisame was leaning the back of his chair against the wall and had both legs propped up on the table, elbows and ankles crossed. He eyed his partner, hoping to catch a glimpse of what he thought about their little friend upstairs. He got nothing, of course.

Deidara leaned against the table, one arm resting upon it for support, the injured one pressed tightly to his side. His pale eyes were glassy with suppressed pain, a thin sheen of sweat on his brow. He glared openly as Itachi moved to an empty chair and sat down with his arms folded in front of him, waiting for the inevitable argument.

Kisame was the one to speak first. "How is Tobi?"

Itachi had checked on their fourth comrade just before he entered the kunoichi's room. "Still unconscious, but he will live."

Deidara grunted his disappointment.

Kisame chuckled. "Why'd you stop her from killing him, then?"

Deidara didn't answer him. "Speaking of _that_, Itachi…"

"Yes, Deidara. Say what you have to say."

"What the hell were you thinking? _That_," he pointed at the ceiling, indicating the captive upstairs, "is the 'weak and pathetic kunoichi' you want to use as bait for the jinchuuriki? Do you know who _that_ is?"

"Haruno Sakura, medic nin of Konoha, friend and teammate of Uzumaki Naruto," he answered calmly.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable. How can you not know more than that?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Obviously you know something else about her, so say it." His tone was quiet as always, but there was a dark undertone that hinted it wouldn't be wise to insult his intelligence again.

"That kunoichi up there, Haruno Sakura, is no ordinary medic. She's the personal apprentice of the Hokage. Obviously healing isn't the only thing she learned, yeah."

"How do you know of her?"

"She was the one who killed Sasori."

"Seriously?" Kisame said, taken aback.

"Mm. I was there, fighting your jinchuuriki and the Copy Ninja outside the cavern."

"If that's true then we didn't even see half of her power today. Bah, she was probably trying to avoid civilian casualties," the shark ventured.

Itachi simply said, "There were four of us."

Deidara agreed. "If it were one-on-one it probably would've been different. You saw what she did to Tobi. And to me." He grumbled the last part under his breath.

Kisame shot him a pointy-toothed grin. "How's that arm feeling?"

Deidara scowled. "What kind of stupid question is that? Do you know how many bones are in the hand and wrist?"

Kisame stared at him blankly.

"Thirty-five," Itachi answered for him.

"Thirty-five!" Deidara affirmed loudly. "And they're _all_ broken! And I think my damn arm is, too! _How does it feel_? It feels fucking _wonderful_, yeah."

"Make her heal it, then."

He snorted derisively. "I'm not letting that hellcat's chakra anywhere near me again. I'll find another medic."

Kisame finally grew bored with provoking him and turned to his partner. "What about you, Itachi? Are you gonna make her heal your eyes?"

"No."

"Eh? Why not? She's supposedly the best medic in Fire country next to the Hokage, right? It's a perfect opportunity."

"How do you suggest I 'make' her do it, Kisame? Trying to force her would increase her desire to cause me harm. Blinding me is only one of many things she could do with her chakra. It would be foolish to allow someone with a killing intent near my eyes."

"Hm. Your loss then, I guess."

"So what's the plan now?" Deidara asked, changing the subject.

"We made the trail easy enough to follow for shinobi with moderate skill. We will stay here until we confirm that our target has taken the bait, and then we will begin leading them to the final location."

"How long do you think it will it take for them to find out?" Kisame wondered.

"I assume that when a week has passed and she hasn't returned, they will send ANBU to investigate. Since we made it obvious what happened, the report of her abduction will reach Konoha a day after that at most. That gives us almost a week before we have to move, providing nothing unexpected happens before then."

"So if all goes as planned from here out, they'll never be closer than two or three days away until we reach the final location for the trap, yeah." Deidara had calmed down somewhat, though it was obvious from his stiff posture that he was hiding a great deal of pain.

"Correct."

"And your brother?" Kisame asked.

"Without knowing where he is, we can't know how long it will take him to find our trail, if he ever does. But he isn't the main objective, so it doesn't matter if he follows us or not. He is merely unfinished business that I am ready to conclude."

"How do you know he'll come for the girl anyway, hm?"

"I don't. It's just a suspicion. But it doesn't matter; he will come for _me_, regardless."

The Akatsuki members were silent after that, each man thinking his own thoughts about the situation. After a few minutes Kisame sat up in his chair, the legs banging on the floor, his heavy booted feet thunking on the ground as he stood.

"Well, I'm done for the night." He walked out of the room.

Itachi and Deidara remained quiet. The Uchiha appeared to be lost in contemplation, as usual, and Deidara was wishing there was some liquor in the house to alleviate some of the searing pain shooting up his arm.

After a moment, Itachi broke the silence. "I have accepted your assistance in this matter, and I respect your input, but do not call me out like that again." His voice was quiet, and his eyes continued to stare unfocussed at the table, but his point was made.

Deidara's jaw clenched. The moment he pointed out the Uchiha's mistake he knew this was coming. "Look, I'm not telling you how to run your operation, but it needed to be said, yeah. Now that you know all the facts I won't have to interfere again." Itachi gave a small nod in reply, and after another moment stood up and left for his own room, leaving Deidara alone at the table. Deidara didn't think he'd be able to sleep tonight. Every time another stab of pain shot through his arm, his thoughts turned to the woman upstairs.

Hellcat, he'd called her. The name certainly fit, and he couldn't help but wonder what other surprises the next few weeks would have in store.


	4. A Day With a Shark

**Perception**

Chapter Four**: **A Day with a Shark

* * *

When Sakura woke the next day her headache was gone. Although she no longer felt like throwing up and she'd managed to sleep through the night without the pain of her injuries waking her, she was incredibly sore and stiff. A night on the cold hardwood with no blanket made her aches and pains that much more intense.

The good news was that her chakra levels were up enough to heal some of her injuries. She began on her ribs first; they were the most painful and the most potentially dangerous. Next came the bruise on the back of her neck and the inflamed nerves around it. The rest was superficial and would heal on its own in a few days, so she left them. She didn't want to expend chakra for minor injuries; she hated the feeling of total helplessness she'd had the night before.

Much relieved, Sakura sighed heavily and assessed her surroundings. Now that there was enough light to see properly, she was certain this was just some empty room in a regular, older house. The wood floor and wall paneling were aged and beginning to crack in places, and cobwebs lined the corners near the ceiling. From the light outside the window she guessed it was late morning, but couldn't be sure. Were they still in Grass country?

Finding nothing of interest, she sat up carefully and tried to stretch out a little. She was on her third neck roll when the door clicked open and Kisame entered, carrying a tray of food.

"Good morning, sunshine."

Did he always talk like he was laughing at his own private joke? "It was until _you_ walked in." Sakura was not a morning person on the best of days, and her captors were going to learn that very quickly.

"Oh, so you don't like food? And here I was, thinking about your poor, distressed state and how hungry you must be. I slaved to make this for you, princess. You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings." He set the tray on the floor and shoved it with his toe.

Sakura didn't move, watched the tray slide to a stop in front of her. There was a small loaf of bread, a bottle of water that sloshed with the rough movement, and an apple that fallen off the tray and was rolling along the floor. She reached out and stopped the fruit, picking it up before glaring at Kisame. He chuckled again.

"I can't eat with you watching, fish-face."

"Heh. And why is that?"

He sounded a little less amused that time. Good. "I think I might get sick."

Something dark and wholly frightening flashed in the shark's small silvery eyes, and she wondered if she'd just gone too far. He may not kill her, but there were plenty of other things he could do that would probably be worse. He seemed to be thinking the same thing, but after a moment the dark intent passed and he laughed at her again.

"You should think before you try to bite that hand that feeds, little girl, or one of us may have to teach you a lesson." He turned to leave.

The rational part of her said she should just stay quiet and eat her food. She was lucky he hadn't broken something for insulting him like that. But there was something inside her that couldn't stand feeling cowed, an inner spark that flared to life when she was threatened or mistreated. It had saved her life more than once. It could just as well be the end of it, too. And sometimes, like now, she just couldn't help herself.

She threw the apple as hard as she could at the back of Kisame's head.

He whipped around and caught it inches from his face. She wouldn't have thought someone so big could move so fast. He stared at her bemusedly, then threw the abused fruit right back at her.

Sakura caught it, but the palm of her hand stung like hell. She glared at Kisame defiantly, and with slow, deliberate movements, wiped the half-smooshed apple against her dirty, bloodstained shirt before taking a bite.

Kisame watched her with a mix if indignation and amusement. The implied insult that she preferred the taste of blood and dirt to anything he had touched was not lost on him. But he couldn't kill her and she probably knew that, so she felt a bit of freedom with her attitude and the result was quite entertaining. He enjoyed getting a rise out of people. He would have to provoke her more often from now on to see how clever she could be. He smirked at her, showing a flash of pointed teeth. She continued to glare at him. Her petulance was almost…cute. He laughed to himself and walked out.

Once he was gone, Sakura ate ravenously. She didn't know how long it had been since her last meal. The bread was stale, but she didn't care. As much as she wanted to cram every last morsel into her mouth at once, she took it slow. Her stomach was completely empty and she was dehydrated. Gorging would only make her sick.

How many days had passed since she was taken? She didn't like not knowing. She needed an idea of how long before Konoha sent a search party.

Every last crumb devoured, the water bottle drained, she pushed the tray aside and returned to stretching. Once her blood was circulating properly again, she stood and examined the room more thoroughly. She was careful not to touch anything; Itachi had said there were chakra seals all over the place, and she didn't want anyone barging in and attacking her if she triggered one. Her backpack was stashed in the far corner, which surprised her. Crouching down to examine it, she saw it was slightly crushed. She'd still been wearing it when Deidara knocked her into the wall. Of course all of her weapons had been removed, just as they'd taken her leg holster and emptied her vest and apron pockets. All the scrolls had been opened, but once determined to be only medical jutsu they were left in the pack. The change of clothes and cloak were still there, as were her toiletries. She sat again and began to brush her tangled hair. Not that she much cared what she looked like, but the normalcy of it comforted her. Now if only she could brush her teeth. It occurred to her then that she had just drank quite a bit of water and would probably have to relieve herself soon. She chuckled at the thought of asking one of the Akatsuki to show her the way to the little kunoichi's room.

It was at that moment, as she was laughing aloud to herself, that the door opened and Kisame walked in. They stared at each other blankly for a moment before the shark spoke.

"It's about time you found that." He indicated her pack. "I was beginning to think you liked looking like shit. Let's go."

"Where?"

He leered at her. "Bath time."

The way he said it sounded so dirty that Sakura inched backward instinctively, shooting him a distrustful look.

"What? I figured you'd want to clean up. You smell as bad as you look." He snickered and turned to the door.

Sakura got up, grabbed her pack and followed. She'd never been this close to the shark nin before and never really noticed how huge he was. He had to be nearly seven feet tall. His blue-grey tinged skin was oddly fascinating, and she fought the urge to reach out and touch it. Was it a bloodline limit? He had what looked like gills on his cheekbones. Surely they weren't functional... Kisame noticed her inspection and gave her a saucy wink. It was highly disconcerting, and she quickly fixed her gaze on the floor. He snickered again—he was _always_ laughing—and walked down the hall. Sakura quickly followed after, though not too closely.

There wasn't much to look at in for a clue of where she was, just a long narrow hallway of the same dark wood paneling as her room. There were several closed doors and no larger side passages, so she guessed she was on an upper floor. Other than that it was as nondescript as could be. Kisame stopped at a closed door three down and one across from her own and turned to her, indicating this was their destination.

Sakura was struck by a thought suddenly, and peered up at the shark man's aquiline face. "Why is it always _you_ coming to my room?" Her tone was a mix of curiosity and distaste.

"I got the short straw," he answered flatly.

She just stared at him.

He laughed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Itachi isn't here at the moment. I don't think Tobi will ever come near you again after what you did to him. And Deidara would probably kill you if he saw you. So you're stuck with me for now, princess."

Accepting his answer, Sakura opened the door to what she presumed was the bathroom, but stopped halfway in when Kisame's lilting voice sounded behind her.

"Want some company? I've been told I make quite a fun bath toy."

Sakura turned to regard him with open revulsion. He was laughing again, and she was relieved to find he was only joking. She wanted to kick him, but decided that amused was better than angry when it came to dealing with a behemoth monster-man who worked for Akatsuki.

"Don't worry, girlie, you ain't my type either." His eyes traveled slowly and deliberately over her form, and she tried not to squirm under his blatant leer. "Your tits are too small."

"Thanks," she said dryly, then went into the bathroom and forcefully shut the door.

Kisame's muffled voice echoed through the door. "You got half an hour."

Sakura set her pack down and removed what she needed before moving to the sink. She made face at herself in the mirror. Kisame was right; she looked like shit. She was covered in grime and dust, and the cut on her lip was scabbed over and dried blood smeared her face. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was clumped together with dried sweat and dirt.

Half an hour, and she planned to use every last second. Was the shark man literally standing guard outside? She felt for his chakra signature which she'd learned to recognize and sure enough – there he was outside the door.

She brushed her teeth first to remove the foul taste of blood and dirt that her meal had only partly covered. Then she undressed, wincing at the soreness of her muscles. She looked at her reflection again and saw her abdomen was covered in ugly, purple bruises. Put there by Deidara or Itachi? Probably both. There was a large claw-footed tub with an attached brass showerhead. The knob gave a loud squeak when turned and the antiquated plumbing groaned and sputtered inside the walls, but the water running from of the old pipes was clean and free of rust. There was shampoo and soap already in the tub, but she made sure to run the soap under the water thoroughly before using it. She didn't want to think about where it might have been. She washed up quickly and spent the next several minutes sitting on the bottom of the tub, letting the hot water relax her tired body and calm her mind.

So many things were strange about all of this. First, Akatsuki had managed to commission a fake mission specifically requesting her. It didn't surprise her that they had contacts in various governments; most people of power had ties to less reputable sources in one way or another. Second, they made a big show of taking her captive in broad daylight with a large crowd of witnesses, rather than ambushing her en route in the open countryside, which told her they wanted her capture to be discovered. But why? To hold her for ransom or blackmail? The only reason she could be useful was for her medical abilities. Again she wondered if they intended to try to force her to heal someone.

Suddenly she recalled what Kakashi said to Itachi at their last encounter in Wind country: '_How fast are you losing your eyesight?_' Due to continual, prolonged use of the Sharingan, both men were slowly going blind. From analyzing Kakashi's, she knew the Mangekyou form accelerated it. How far had Itachi's vision deteriorated? She had worked on Kakashi's a little, removing the chakra buildup that gave him headaches, clearing the pathways for easier use. As long as he didn't expose it for extended periods he was fine, and with regular treatment she was able to halt and even reverse some of the deterioration. But Kakashi's eye problems weren't his fault; it wasn't his natural eye and he didn't have the genetic markers to control it; he _couldn't_ turn it off. Itachi _chose_ to keep it on all the time, and Sakura didn't feel sorry for him. If that was why they brought her here then they were sorely mistaken. She would burst his eyeballs out of their sockets before she gave him a better weapon.

But that didn't seem right either. If all he wanted was for her to heal his eyes, why did he need three other Akatsuki to take her from a very public place? Itachi was perfectly capable of capturing her by himself even if he _was_ half blind. Kisame was with him at all times, but Deidara and the other one—Tobi—why did they help? Why were they still here? She knew they were; becoming a medic had made her sensitive to chakra and she could feel their signatures moving around the building. Maybe they were just bored and tagging along. She definitely needed to sort it out some more.

Sakura stepped out of the tub, looking and feeling much better. She found towels in a cabinet under the sink. She felt very strange about her situation. Normally, if one was taken hostage and held in close quarters with four of the world's most wanted criminals, they would be terrified. Normally, if an enormous bloodthirsty shark-man with an even bigger sword that had its own evil sentience was standing outside one's door while they were stark naked and unarmed, they would feel panic. But so many things that had happened were _not _normal, and somehow Sakura wasn't afraid. Whatever they wanted, she believed they needed her alive and relatively sound to do it, and so she was fairly certain now that they wouldn't kill her. That gave her confidence that she normally wouldn't have. Possibly too much…but oh well, she was furious. She didn't want to help them, didn't want to be here, and she was going to make sure they knew it.

After dressing, she stuffed her belongings back into her bag, retied her hitai-ate into her short hair and began finger-comb it. A moment later there was a loud bang on the door. She'd been expecting it, but still started at the abrupt noise. Her time was up. She grabbed her pack and quickly opened the door before the behemoth on the other side knocked it down.

Kisame's large bulk loomed over her. He looked bored, and his eyes traveled slowly over her figure again as he took in her refreshed appearance. Eyes narrowed, she regarded him stiffly and waited for him to move and let her out. When he eventually backed away, Sakura brushed past him and headed in the direction of her room. Kisame simply snorted and raised his eyebrows at her back. He didn't follow, and once she entered her room and closed the door he walked off toward the other end of the house.

Sakura wasn't surprised that he hadn't followed her. He didn't need to dog her steps to catch her if she ran.

Now that she'd eaten and cleaned up, there was absolutely nothing to do. She dropped her backpack and sat down next to it with her back against the wall. She had a good view of the window from here and was able to reasonably guess what time of day it was, though watching the hours slowly pass wouldn't help the boredom that was quickly setting in. Patience had never been her virtue, and she was already restless. She almost wished Kisame would come back, just so she had something to interact with besides the four walls. Almost.

There was no way to know when someone would bring her next meal, or finally tell her why she was being held hostage. There was nothing to do but wait. Sakura's mind wandered again to the possible reasons she was taken. They obviously didn't know much about her other than her medical skills, because they hadn't expected her to put up a good fight. Did that mean they didn't know she was Tsunade's apprentice? If so, that almost certainly ruled blackmail or ransom out. Was it because she killed Sasori? That didn't seem right for several reasons. Sakura wasn't the only person she knew to have killed an Akatsuki, and they had never retaliated before. Deidara had been his partner, but he hadn't come near her since the fight, and if it was about revenge, he would have told her so and probably killed her straight away. So that theory fell apart as well.

The more she thought about it, the more everything seemed to point to Itachi. This was his operation. He was the one who wanted her, she was sure of it, and the only thing he could possibly need her for was to heal his eyes. But Itachi surely he knew that if chakra could be used to repair the body it could be used to destroy it as well, and he wouldn't be foolish enough to let her near his eyes. No amount of torture or intimidation could change the fact that he would have to _allow_ her to put her chakra into his body, and once it was in it would only take a split second to blind or even kill him. He would be helpless against her.

Sakura thought back to the last time she had seen Uchiha Itachi: three years ago during the Kazekage's rescue. He probably thought she was still _that_ girl. That explained why they underestimated her. They didn't know her at all if they thought she was just going to comply with their demands. She had no incentive to help them. The only way to force her hand was to hurt or threaten someone she loved. But they hadn't.

Sakura smirked. They were in for a big surprise if they thought a standard ANBU team would be sent after her. Not when she was Konoha's second best medic and practically the Godaime's surrogate daughter. The fearsome woman would come after them herself if she wasn't the Hokage. And her boys were going to flip when they found out she'd been taken captive and by _whom_. Especially Naruto…

_Oh no._

That was it, wasn't it? It _had_ to be. That was why they took her in broad daylight, leaving no doubt about what happened. She curled her knees to her chest and put her head in her hands as it all sank in.

The Kyuubi. They wanted Naruto for the demon sealed inside him. Akatsuki had been after Naruto for a long time, had tried to take him several times before and failed. Jiraiya originally told them Akatsuki planned to have all of the bijuu within three years, but it had been seven since then. Itachi must be tired of chasing and had come up with a plan to bring Naruto to _him_ instead. And Sakura knew with devastating certainty that it would work. Naruto would never let this go. Even if he was forbidden to come after her or be part of the rescue, he would never listen. If Tsunade tried to stop him he would leave on his own.

Her team was coming. _That's_ why Deidara and his partner were still here—as backup. Sakura felt completely helpless. There was nothing she could do to stop this. Even if she somehow managed to escape, there was no guarantee she would find her team before they found the Akatsuki. The best she could hope for was to be there when they arrived and find a way to fight beside them.

She had complete confidence in her team, but these were Akatsuki they were dealing with. The last time they fought it had been seven Leaf shinobi against two Akatsuki and the Leaf had _barely_ won that battle. Several of them had taken serious injury, including Kakashi and Naruto, who were two of the strongest ninja she knew. There were four Akatsuki this time, and the chance of winning was dismal. Itachi's plan was frighteningly brilliant.

Sakura wouldn't sit idly by waiting for this nightmare to play out. Her captors weren't going to kill her, and they had been surprisingly lenient so far. They were professionals, above bullying and terrorizing, and wouldn't hurt her without reason. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage. Maybe she could get them to let her out of this room. If she was lucky, they may even tolerate her in their presence. She didn't think she could gain their trust or that they would ever let their guard down around her, say or do something she wasn't supposed to see, but every bit of information would help.

Sakura calculated her plan for some time before Kisame returned. He carried another tray of food, but this time he didn't put it down and slide it across the floor, simply held the tray and regarded her expectantly. Seeing his fishy face after finally figuring out their intentions only made her angry, and at first she just glared at him from her position on the floor. Then she remembered she was supposed to be somewhat nice for the time being, so she rose and walked over to him. He held out the tray and Sakura saw what was on it: rice and soup with hot tea. That was a surprise. Did he make this for her himself? More likely they were leftovers from his own lunch, but he could easily have given her another loaf of stale bread.

"Thanks…" she muttered quietly, taking the tray.

Kisame grunted noncommittally. It wasn't until she'd sat on the floor with the tray that he finally spoke. "Itachi will be back tonight, and he'll probably want to discuss your situation," he said gruffly.

Sakura didn't know why he told her that. Maybe it was a hint that she should mentally prepare herself. At any rate, she needed to figure out what she was going to have to say and do to convince them to let her out of this room and at least go to the bathroom without an escort. She nodded in acknowledgement and Kisame walked out, closing the door as he went.

It was the briefest exchange they'd had all day, and she wondered if he felt as odd about it as she did. Things were just getting weirder by the hour.

She ate carefully this time, grateful for a hot meal. Afterward she quietly paced the room and worked out the details of her plan. After several minutes she found herself in front of the window, staring through the dirty pane to the ground below. She was right about being on an upper floor. The distance was nothing for a ninja to jump, but she knew there was a chakra seal on the window.

Feeling a little devious, she reached out to touch the glass and sure enough, after a moment there was a presence near her door, waiting to see what she would do. She removed her hand from the window pane, and eventually her unseen watchdog went away. From what she could see through the window, they seemed to be at some sort of abandoned mill or farm. There was a walled yard below with a gardening shed, and what used to be plowed fields beyond the wall. She wondered if this was a regular Akatsuki hideout or if they had just found it and were squatting.

Eventually she grew bored looking out the dirty window and moved away. It was getting dark, and she wondered how long until her meeting with Itachi. With nothing else to do she lay down with her back against the wall, using her backpack as a pillow, and silently rehearsed her plan again and again until she fell asleep.

* * *

Sakura woke at the sound of her door opening. The yellow glow from the hallway illuminated a cloaked silhouette in the rectangle of the open doorframe. There was no mistaking Kisame's hulking figure, and Sakura sat up slowly, squinting at the invasion of light.

"You asleep again?"

"What else am I supposed to do? There isn't even a light in here," she answered tartly. "What time is it?" She stood and looked out the window, trying gauge the time. It was completely black outside. She must have slept for hours.

"Late. Let's go." He said it like they were going for an evening stroll, and not to what was sure to be a tense confrontation between a dangerous killer and a very hot-tempered kunoichi.

"How do I look?" she asked with her hands on her hips, voice dripping with sarcasm. The shark laughed aloud, and the two enemies walked together down the hall.

Kisame led her in the opposite direction from before, and they descended an old, rickety staircase that would have creaked loudly if anyone other than ninja were to walk on it. They passed through a large sitting room full of dusty, worn furniture. The place had clearly been abandoned for many years. They went around a corner into the formal dining room, featuring an old-fashioned, solid oak table that seated eight. A modest chandelier hung over the table and heavy draperies blocked the windows. The room might have been downright cozy, if not for the gang of notorious criminals watching her like hungry wolves.

At the head of the table sat Uchiha Itachi. He regarded her impassively, but his crimson eyes glinted with hidden thoughts.

Deidara was on his right, while Tobi sat on the other side toward the middle. Kisame motioned for her to take the seat at the far end, and she did so stiffly as he moved past her and sat next to Deidara, leaving Tobi by himself in the middle. They must have just finished eating; there were several takeout containers on the table, some empty, some still half full. It smelled delicious and her stomach clenched, but she wasn't about to ask for any.

They stared at her intently. Sakura looked at Deidara, who blatantly glared at her in a way that was almost pouty, and Sakura had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smirking. She held eye contact with him just long enough to prove he didn't intimidate her—which wasn't exactly true, but she faked it well. She turned her eyes to Tobi next and even though his mask his his features, she knew he wasn't making eye contact with her. He was uncomfortable with her presence, just the smallest bit frightened by her, even with the other three here. It struck her as odd, though she _had_ nearly killed him, and his skill was surprisingly subpar for an Akatsuki. The realization filled her with a nervous sort of amusement. She gave him a cruel smile and he shifted his gaze to the tabletop. At last she turned her attention to the final member of their little party.

Itachi's expression remained unreadable, but his eyes analyzed every movement she made. Sakura maintained her outward calm, and with a pounding heart, did what most sane people would never willingly do: she raised her eyes and met Itachi's deadly, crimson stare.

A moment of instinctive fear passed before she realized she wasn't trapped in a nightmare world of torture. After another moment she breathed again, and managed to hold his penetrating gaze. The seconds ticked by as they sat there, looking at each other. She relaxed just a little when it became clear he wasn't going to do anything to her other than stare, and for the first time, she felt comfortable enough to really _see_ him.

It disturbed her considerably to discover he was incredibly handsome. Better looking even than Sasuke, and she hated that she thought so. His eyes were his most striking feature, and not because of the Sharingan. They were simply beautiful, large and shapely, framed with long dark lashes that made her jealous. She wondered what they looked like without the crimson bloodline limit. Were they the same deep ebony-brown as his brother's, or charcoal grey like Kakashi's? But this was Uchiha Itachi…they were probably black as the pits of hell and as empty as his soul.

That last thought cut through her initial shock, and she wondered if he was going to say something soon. She was becoming uncomfortable, and at this point she was only maintaining eye contact through sheer willpower.

The corner of Itachi's mouth turned slightly, but Sakura couldn't tell if it was a smirk or a frown. "You aren't afraid to look in my eyes, kunoichi?"

She was, and yet wasn't. Not knowing how to explain that, she remained silent.

He didn't press her. "Do you know why we took you?"

"I can think of several reasons."

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you share some of your theories with us."

Steeling her resolve, she leaned forward and clasped her hands together on the table. "At first I thought it was because you want me to heal your eyes. I know you're going blind. But I also know you wouldn't put yourself in a compromising situation with someone who would harm you at the first opportunity. My next thought was that Akatsuki has some other need for my medical skills. Or that you might be attempting a ransom or blackmail, as there are some powerful people who would be upset by my capture. However, none of those theories explain why you need these three," she gestured vaguely at the others. "And then I realized: you plan to use me as bait for Naruto." Her voice was quiet and dark as she finished, and she no longer bothered to hide her contempt.

Itachi gave a faint nod. "You are correct, kunoichi. I thought you might figure it out on your own, but I have to say I'm impressed. You are as intelligent as your reputation indicates."

Sakura was taken aback. Did Uchiha Itachi just compliment her? The others were also regarding her with a sort of grudging respect.

"Are you hungry?"

"What?" Was he having a different conversation than she was? He'd just confirmed his intentions on the life of her best friend, and now he was offering to share a meal with her?

"I asked if you were hungry," he repeated simply, as if nothing was strange about any of this. "You may help yourself, if you wish."

This had to be some sort of surreal nightmare. Dreaming or not, she _was_ hungry, and so she cautiously leaned over the tabletop to inspect the cartons, chose one and quickly, and sat back. It was mostly cold, but that hardly mattered to her neglected stomach.

"You're not worried it might be poisoned, hm?"

She looked up at Deidara. "If you wanted to kill me you would have done it already, not bring me all the way out to this place. Besides, you wouldn't need poison to do it."

"You're awfully acceptant of the situation. You act like you get kidnapped all the time. What happened to the all the hissing and spitting from yesterday?"

Was that his impression of her, an angry cat? She shrugged and calmly replied, "Oh, don't get me wrong. When my teammates find us I'm going to help them kill you all."

Deidara and Kisame both laughed dismissively, but Itachi remained unmoved. Sakura continued eating.

"Is that right? You seem pretty confident about that, yeah. Does that mean you're not gonna try to escape?"

"I wouldn't make it far with all four of you on my ass, so there's no point in trying. Besides, whether I escape or not isn't going to stop Naruto from coming for you." She looked to Itachi. "I have to admit, your plan is disgustingly brilliant, but you're wrong in thinking you're going to win."

"Spoken like a true Leaf ninja," he said with the barest hint of amusement. "What makes you so sure of the outcome?"

"You can't possibly believe that Naruto will come alone. You knew enough about me to set up that fake medical mission, so you must know who my other teammates are and that they won't just sit around while you work your evil little plan."

"Of course I am aware."

"Doesn't mean we won't win, princess," Kisame added, grinning.

"Should be quite a fight, especially if the other guest of honor shows up, yeah."

An unsettling feeling crept over her. "Who would that be?"

Itachi regarded her intently. "My brother."

It was a good thing she was sitting down. Sakura was shocked to say the least, and a bit confused. "Sasuke would never come for me." Having to admit it aloud burned her up inside.

The Uchiha gave a small, indifferent shrug. "Perhaps he would, perhaps not. But he will come for _me_."

"He's been looking for you for six years. What makes you think he'll find you this time?"

"Because I want him to."

The last three years had proved beyond doubt that Itachi wasn't one to be found if he didn't want to be. This situation was very, very bad. If Sasuke did come, she didn't know if he would help Team Kakashi or simply follow his own agenda. He may even fight against them if he thought they were in his way.

Itachi seemed to read her thoughts. "It will be quite a reunion, don't you think? Are you sure you don't want to run, kunoichi?"

"_No_," she said angrily. "I'm not going to run. Especially not now."

"Hn. Are you so eager to be scorned and abused by my foolish brother again?"

He was taunting her. She shot him a venomous glare. "I'm not going to run because I want to be here when he kills you. I want to watch as he slowly chokes the life out of you, Itachi. I want to _hear_ your death-rattle."

He was on her before she finished the last word, moving so fast that she didn't even register it until he was behind her chair, holding her throat in a deadly grip. He could snap her neck before she even tried to fight back.

His handsome face was contorted in fury. Her heart raced wildly, and she was sure he could feel it against his fingers. The other three Akatsuki stared with wide-eyed alarm at their comrade, and that terrified her more than anything. She had provoked Itachi to act in a way that shocked them, because they had never seen it before.

Itachi leaned over the back of her chair, his breath hot against the side of her face. After several terrifying seconds he regained composure and his face slipped back into a blank mask, though his blood-colored eyes still glinted angrily. He loosened his death-grip on her throat, but didn't let go. Sakura took several shaking breaths and fought down panic.

Itachi used his grip to turn her head a fraction, his lips almost brushing her cheekbone. His voice was nearly a whisper, but it filled the tense silence. "Perhaps you will get your wish, kunoichi…though I doubt my brother will live up to your expectations. Perhaps you will get to watch me do the same to him instead. After I take the Kyuubi, of course." He watched every flinch, every tremble of her lips, the tears in her fear-bright eyes. "Once I have accomplished those things your usefulness to me will have ceased. Perhaps, little kunoichi, the death-rattle you hear will be your own."

He moved away from her then, and she couldn't prevent the small pant of relief that escaped her lips. Her heart was pounding so hard against her ribs she was sure everyone could hear it. Her cheek was cold from where his breath had moistened it. Now that she was free of the deadly grasp her instincts screamed to flee, but she managed to stay seated. She didn't think she could stand right now if she tried. Her fingers had been clenched against her thighs and she could feel the pain now as the adrenaline started to wear off. She would have more bruises later.

Itachi stood in the doorway, his back to them. He turned just far enough to reveal his profile. "Since you made it quite clear that you have no intention of escape, there is no need for you to stay confined. The chakra seals will be removed tomorrow. You are free to move around the house and immediate grounds, and you may make use of anything you find here."

A moment later the soft rustle of his cloak indicated he was gone.

He'd said it like nothing had just happened between them, like he hadn't just lost control and nearly killed her with his bare hands. That kind of compartmentalization was frightening. Sakura couldn't imagine how a mind could work like that.

No one else moved from their seats. Sakura stared unseeing at her shaking hands, and the three remaining Akatsuki watched her with a mixture of shock, curiosity, and awe. She didn't look at them. She had forgotten they were there. The blood wouldn't stop rushing in her ears. After several moments she poured all of her effort and strength into standing and made her way blindly out of the room, the three Akatsuki staring after her.

Sakura closed the door to her room and ran her hand along the paneling until she stumbled into her backpack and slid down the wall in a heap. She could still feel Itachi's dark chakra curling around her, could still feel his fingers on her throat, his breath on her cheek.

Alone, in the pitch darkness of her room, she could no longer hold back the tears.


	5. Tightrope

**Perception**

Chapter Five**: **Tightrope

* * *

Sakura woke reluctantly the next morning, her eyes dark and shadowed from a fitful sleep. She'd had nightmares of being hunted by snarling wolves with glowing red eyes. She would stumble, feeling the sharp rush of air as their jaws snapped inches from her flesh. She'd struggle to her feet, and on it went, until her body demanded respite and she finally fell into a deep, forgetful slumber.

The dim gray light filtering through the dirty window told her it was morning. It was very early, she could tell. _Too_ early, but her rough night had made good sleep impossible. At least the warm blanket over her back had protected her from most of the chill.

Wait…blanket?

Sakura looked down in amazement. There was, in fact, a blanket covering her. _What the hell_…? She was dumbfounded. Someone—one of her _captors_—had come into her room in the middle of the night and covered her with a large woolen blanket. The fact that they'd stood over her sleeping body and she hadn't woken was completely ignored in favor of the baffling and unpredictable gesture. As if one of them was concerned for her wellbeing. That was ridiculous. They probably just didn't want her to get sick and become a burden. Whatever the case, she wasn't about to ask who had done it and why. She doubted anyone would admit to it anyway.

Sitting up and pulling the heavy blanket around her shoulders, she slowly, groggily adjusted to being awake. She'd been overconfident so far; relying on Akatsuki professionalism and the small amount of respect they seemed to have for her to grant her leniency. Kisame seemed to almost enjoy their snarky banter. Even Deidara seemed more laid back despite his anger about his broken arm. However, provoking Itachi had been monumentally stupid of her, and she was certain she was only alive now because she needed to be. That expression of unbridled rage…how he'd hovered over her like death's shadow.

Because she was central to their plan she was safe from death for the time being, but there were many horrible things that could be done to her if her captors felt so inclined. Sakura had all the reports on Akatsuki and its members and knew something about their ways. Kisame was brutal and had a penchant for mutilating his defeated enemies. Deidara was easily provoked to violence, and liked to destroy things purely for the terrible beauty of chaos. But Itachi was the most dangerous by far. He was cold and calculating, and had ruthlessly cut down everyone who ever stood against him with no discernible emotion.

At least that's what she'd thought until last night. He was capable of at least _one_ emotion, and she had felt it very, very acutely. Did he have other emotions hidden somewhere deep inside? Was he always a blank slate because his true self was so volatile? She shuddered at the thought.

Last night had left her thoroughly spooked. From Itachi nearly killing her, to the mystery of her new blanket…Sakura had no idea what to make of things. She would be more cautious from now on. She didn't want to risk losing the small amount of freedom she had gained. It was ironic that she now had permission to move around, yet after last night she found she didn't want to leave the minimal sanctuary of her room.

Unfortunately hiding wasn't an option. She was being allowed roam freely in enemy territory and she had to take advantage of the opportunity. Not that she expected to find anything terribly useful, or that they would be foolish enough to leave anything for her to find in the first place, but what kind of ninja would she be if she didn't try?

Sakura shouldered her backpack and carefully opened her door. The chakra seal hadn't been removed yet, so she knew someone was aware of her movement, but she hoped they wouldn't investigate. She stepped tentatively into the hallway, practically tiptoed toward the bathroom, sneaking around despite the fact that she'd been given permission to come out. Entering the bathroom and closing the door quietly behind her, she noticed for the first time that the door had a lock and she stared at it for a moment before turning the small lever. Of course it wouldn't keep anyone out if they really wanted to get in, but it would stop them from walking in on her by accident. That was the last thing she needed.

She undressed quickly and turned on the water. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror out of the corner of her eye, she turned to look at what caught her attention. The bruises on her abdomen were beginning to fade to an ugly yellowish-green, but there were new ones; ghastly purple bruises on her neck, as well as five oval marks on each thigh, self-inflicted in her panic. She quickly healed them, frowning at her reflection until they disappeared. The reason for their existence wasn't something she wanted to be reminded of every time she looked in the mirror.

As much as Sakura wanted to enjoy the hot steamy shower, she didn't think it would be a good idea to linger. She bathed quickly, brushed her teeth and dressed. There was no choice but to wear the same clothes as the day before. Not feeling bold enough to wander around the eerily silent house, she slipped silently back into her room and began sorting through the rest of her belongings. She re-read the medical scrolls she'd memorized long ago, just trying to keep herself occupied. After half an hour she found herself sitting there, doing nothing.

Eventually boredom defeated apprehension and Sakura once again snuck into the hallway. There was no need to be so cautious, but the silence made her reluctant to make noise. The less chance she had of running into an Akatsuki, the better. Especially one in particular.

Intent on finding a way to wash her clothes, she brought her pack with her again. From what little she knew about farmhouses, she guessed she would find what she was looking for in the back of the house or outside. Taking care not to creak the steps, she made her way downstairs, through the dusty sitting room toward the door she assumed led to the kitchen. She passed the dining room and flashes of last night invaded her mind, making her pulse quicken slightly. She angrily pushed the memory away as she found herself in the kitchen.

It surprised her that she hadn't sensed anyone around as she moved through the common rooms. She knew they hadn't left her alone, but she couldn't feel anyone nearby. Maybe like her they just weren't morning people and were still asleep.

The kitchen was spacious, well lit by natural light, with an island in the middle. The kind of kitchen common in homes meant for large families. There was no laundry room, but there was a door that led to the back porch. Sakura opened it and found herself in the large, walled-in yard. The morning air was crisp; it was early autumn and every day was a little colder than the last. She glanced around the yard, seeing only an old chicken coop that was half collapsed, and the large shed she'd noticed from her window. She made her way to it, walking slowly and casually, looking back over her shoulder at the second story windows to see if she was being watched. If anyone saw her moving around outside she didn't want them to think she was trying to run. But the windows were all empty.

The latch on the shed door was corroded and covered with rust, but had been recently forced open. Sakura took that as a good sign that there was something useful in here, and pushed it open with a loud grating creak. She found what she was looking for in one corner, against the wall. It was no surprise that a place this old and run down didn't have a washing machine, so she took off her pack and walked over to the large bucket and washboard, resigning herself to manual labor.

It could be worse. She'd washed her clothes in streams before when out in the field, and this wasn't her first time using an old-fashioned washboard. As a genin assigned to D-rank missions, one could find themselves doing all sorts of tedious tasks, including other people's laundry. When she was finished, she laid her wet clothes out flat on a bench next to the wall, since the clothesline outside was in disrepair and useless. She shoved her undergarments into her bag, intending to let those dry out in her room; she wasn't going to leave them out for any random S-class criminal to look at. It had been at least an hour, but there was still no sign of anyone as she went back inside. If they were this good at hiding without even trying it was no wonder Team Kakashi had such a hard time tracking them down. The old clock on the living room wall was broken, so she had no idea what time it was. The overcast day made it impossible to tell as the sky remained a constant, unchanging gray.

Back in her room, she dropped her bag and stood with her hands on her hips. She was so bored she could scream, and at the same time too nervous to roam around and find something to do. The contrast of emotion was ridiculous and made her want to laugh. She wondered if this surreal form of captivity was some sort of bizarre torture method. Maybe she was just losing her mind.

After several minutes of aggravating indecision, she decided to go out again and try to find some sort of bed so she didn't have to sleep on the floor anymore. There were several other bedrooms, so maybe there was a spare bed or futon somewhere. If nothing else she could pull the dirty, worn out cushions off of the couch downstairs and use them. She could just haul the entire couch up to her room, but she and the couch were likely to fall through the rickety staircase. The mental image made her laugh, and she laughed even harder when she realized the other occupants of the house could probably hear her cackling to herself like a madwoman.

She was laughing so hard at herself and her situation that she had to lean against the wall for a moment to catch her breath. Oh yeah. Definitely going crazy. She straightened and wiped the tears from her eyes, sobering somewhat once she realized that checking the other rooms for a mattress meant actually going inside them, meaning she'd have to open closed doors that could reveal an Akatsuki's bedroom. Barging into her captors' personal quarters wasn't very conducive to staying alive. She would just have to use her instincts and hope luck was on her side.

Making the assumption that they probably wouldn't stay in a room too near hers, she moved to the first door down the hall and cautiously felt for life signs inside. Nothing. Holding her breath, ready to jump aside should she suddenly find multiple kunai flying at her face, she tentatively reached for the door handle. Her eyes flew upward as the door was suddenly opened from the inside, and she found herself staring into a swirling orange mask. _So much for luck_. She didn't know if he'd heard her or if he just happened to be on his way out, but what did it matter? He'd caught her about to walk into his room.

A flash of relief swept through her that it was only Tobi. She was close enough to see the glint of a dark eye behind the single hole, and quickly stepped back. "Ahh, excuse me," she stammered. The apology came out automatically, but she reminded herself that this man had tried to hurt her. And paid the consequence for it. In fact, this particular Akatsuki was probably more afraid of her than she of him. She wasn't snooping and hadn't done anything wrong, so she composed herself and looked him in the eye. "I didn't think anyone was in this room…I was just looking for an extra mattress."

Tobi didn't answer immediately. His body was slightly tense, and she got the feeling she may have startled him as much as he had her. When he finally spoke his voice was quiet, almost timid. "No one's using that room over there." He pointed to a room across the hall to the right.

"Okay. Um….thanks," she muttered, and turned away.

"You're welcome."

Sakura just kept walking, feeling odd about the whole exchange.

"Sakura-san…" he called out behind her. "You could just stay in a different room now…if you want."

Why hadn't she thought of that? She was a bit thrown by his politeness. Apparently Itachi wasn't the only one with manners. "Maybe I will…" She looked back at him, wary but grateful. "Thank you, Tobi-san."

He straightened, as if he wasn't used to people addressing him like that. "You're welcome, Sakura-san," he said again, and closed the door.

Sakura breathed deeply. It could have been worse. A lot worse. It could have been Itachi's room. This was all getting way too weird.

When she entered the unoccupied room, the ordeal in the hallway was completely forgotten and she frowned in indignation. Those bastards! Why couldn't they have dropped her in _here_? Unlike the room they put her in, this one was fully furnished with a bed, an old dresser and a worn armchair. There were even curtains on the window! That settled it. She stomped back to her shell of a room, grabbed her backpack and the wool blanket, and then stomped back down the hall to the new room and shut the door.

She plopped on the bed with a huff, and promptly sneezed from the dust cloud that rose to greet her. Her former room was dirty, but this one was far worse. She inspected the dusty quilt covering the bed, running her palm over the tacky print. It was hideous; a gaudy pink floral pattern on a mustard yellow background. The entire thing was trimmed in dirty, graying lace. No wonder this room was unoccupied. No man would willingly sleep in here.

At least now she had something to do. Cleaning up this awful, tacky, but _furnished_ room would take up quite a bit of time. With more eagerness than she'd ever felt at the prospect of housework, Sakura forced the window open and began to clean.

A while later, she'd managed to make the room somewhat presentable. The unsightly comforter was used as a dust rag for the rest of the furniture, then she shook it out from the open window before stuffing it in one of the dresser drawers, deciding to keep the wool blanket that mysteriously appeared last night instead. She shook out the sheets and remade the bed. There wasn't much else that could be done after that, but she was satisfied, and figured they wouldn't stay here much longer anyway.

It had been about three days since she was taken. They would be expecting her return tonight, and by tomorrow night they would send an ANBU team to investigate. The Hokage knew her apprentice well enough to know that if she had been held up, she would have found a way to send a message. With no word from Sakura, she would know immediately that something wasn't right, especially for a mission as supposedly simple as hers should have been. Sakura had no idea how far they were from the abduction scene. Akatsuki could travel incredibly fast; they could be almost anywhere by now. They wanted Naruto and Sasuke to find them, but Itachi had also said they intended to move.

What must life as a missing nin must be like? Always on the run, always moving, trying to stay one step ahead of both ANBU and civilian bounty hunters. Their plan must be to lead Naruto and Sasuke to a remote location, where they were less likely to encounter outside interference. There were several countries and territories with no affiliation to a hidden village, some with no form of government whatsoever. They would likely head to one of those. Depending on how far they'd taken her, her team would be here in three, maybe four days. She knew how fast they could move when driven. Kakashi would use his dogs as well, and that would cut their search time by half. If the Akatsuki were as well prepared as they seemed, then they would move from here within the next two days.

A loud gurgle from her stomach interrupted Sakura's train of thought. She hadn't eaten yet today. She wondered if her captors kept a food supply or if they always got takeout. She just couldn't imagine any of them actually cooking. Deciding to find out, she headed downstairs again.

Just outside the kitchen entryway she felt another presence, and tensed. Her first instinct was to turn around, go back to her room, and just deal with being hungry. But he already knew she was there, and scuttling away to hide wasn't something she wanted to be seen doing. Steeling her resolve and taking a deep breath, she entered to find Deidara sitting on one of the stools at the island counter. His back was to her and he didn't turn at her entrance, but he was quite aware of her nonetheless.

Giving the other shinobi a wide berth, Sakura moved around the island to the opposite counter. It was so quiet she could hear the low thrum of the refrigerator. She wondered how this place could still have electricity, and figured it was probably running on a generator. Several containers of take-out sat on the counter in front of Deidara, the large paper bag they'd come in pushed to the side. Deidara hadn't looked up from his lunch, continuing to slowly chew his food like he didn't notice her watching him. But he most certainly did notice; the small twitch of his eye was a clear indication of his annoyance.

He took his time chewing and swallowing, and then raised his gaze to acknowledge her. "Something I can help you with, hm?"

Once she got a good look at his face, she was surprised by how haggard he looked. His cloak was open, his youthful features drawn and pale, and his eyes were dark and ringed with fatigue. Sakura's practiced gaze noted the way he held his left arm guarded to his side. He hadn't found anyone to heal it. She'd pretty much demolished it, and without a skilled medic he could never use it again. In fact, multiple closed fractures could be lethal, due to the high risk of fever and blood poisoning. It was obvious he was suffering intense pain and she was impressed with his control. She didn't exactly pity him, but she couldn't bring herself to find sadistic satisfaction in what she'd done.

Old habits kicked in under his icy blue glare, and she bit her lip and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Mind if I join you?" she asked tentatively, glancing at the food cartons.

The look he gave her said that yes, in fact, he _did_ mind. She briefly entertained the thought of snatching a carton and making a run for it, but decided against it in favor of acting like the strong mature jounin she was. She waited for him to tell her to get lost, but after a moment he sat back with raised eyebrows and an audible sigh, gesturing vaguely at the food in a way that said 'whatever.'

She moved closer and looked over the food. Picking up a carton of shrimp tempura and clean chopsticks, she backed up and lifted herself onto the countertop across from him. Deidara went back to eating and she quickly followed suit.

The next few minutes held the most strained silence Sakura had ever found herself in. What could she say to the villainous weirdo who'd killed the Kazekage and tried to blow up the entire village of Hidden Sand? _'Nice weather we're having…sorry I killed your partner. Can you eat with those freaky mouth-hands or are they only for blowing things up? How does it feel to have all of the bones in your hand and wrist broken at the same time? Did I break a tooth?' _

It occurred to Sakura that Deidara had several legitimate reasons to hate her, so she was a bit surprised that he tolerated her presence at all. Any of those topics were likely to get her a kunai or two in a very unpleasant place, so she remained wisely and awkwardly silent.

After a while Deidara took to watching the kunoichi. She was young, though probably only a year or two younger than himself. Quite pretty, though not the most beautiful he'd ever seen. It was her coloring that made her interesting. Her hair was such a unique shade of strawberry-blonde it was actually _pink, _and her eyes were nothing short of exquisite; they were the most stunning shade of jade green he had ever seen. She would definitely draw attention away from more traditional beauties. He wondered what Sasori had thought of her…and concluded that she wouldn't be such a bad sight to see as one's last.

Happily gorging herself on fried shrimp, Sakura didn't notice his appraising gaze. It was clear she would eat the whole container if allowed.

"Hey, don't eat it all."

The kunoichi looked up. "Heh, sorry," she said, hopping down and setting the container next to the others. "It's my favorite." She picked up another full of noodles and hopped back up on her counter.

Though not exactly friendly, the small exchange seemed to lighten the tension somewhat, and Sakura felt comfortable enough to try to talk to the sulking Akatsuki. "Are we still in Grass country?"

"Nope."

He didn't seem inclined to explain, and she hesitantly prodded. "Where are we…?"

"Earth country."

His derisive tone made his opinion clear. Sakura glanced briefly at the shinobi's black hitai-ate, at the symbol for Hidden Stone with the deep elongated scratch half visible under his long bangs. "I'm sure you're not too thrilled by that."

"Hn," was all the answer she got out of the Iwa missing-nin.

Deidara was very different from Kisame. Provocations and thinly veiled insults were almost welcome with the shark nin; he liked to get a rise out of people and respected those who could give as good as they got. But Sakura sensed almost immediately that that sort of interaction was not as welcome with the explosives master, either because he really despised her, or he just didn't enjoy being made fun of. Perhaps his thoughts and emotions just ran a bit deeper than Kisame's. Whatever the case, it appeared she would need to be more sincere with Deidara if she wanted him to respect her.

Why his respect mattered, she wasn't sure. Probably it was because Akatsuki were some of the most powerful shinobi in the world. Their respective skills and abilities were extraordinary. The small, egotistical part of her was always seeking acknowledgement from those whom she deemed worthy of esteem in some way, be they friend or foe. Sakura could admit that she wanted them to respect her and recognize her power and intelligence. Respect would keep things from getting ugly around here, and keep them from doing anything unpleasant to her.

Deidara was finished eating already, but showed no indication of getting up. She figured he'd want to get away from her as soon as possible, but he just sat there, apparently in deep thought, still wearing the frown-pout that she was beginning to think was almost cute. Maybe he was silently implying that _he_ wasn't the one who should hurry up and leave.

The sound of someone approaching from the other room reached her ears and a moment later Kisame entered. He took in the scene and flashed a pointy-toothed grin as he set Samehada against the wall with a heavy thud. "Well, look who's out and about," he chuckled, looking back and forth between his comrade and the kunoichi. "Didn't think I'd find the two of you together."

Sakura shrugged. Deidara rolled his eyes.

"Where's Tobi?"

"Around," Deidara answered, clearly not caring.

Kisame looked over the food selection and grabbed a carton, then leaned back against the same counter Sakura was sitting on and turned to look at her fully. "Are you enjoying your extended leash, princess?" He asked as he eyed her in close proximity.

His invasion of her personal space was intentional. Sakura refused to squirm, and looked at him impassively. "It could be better. Is there anything to do around here other than draw finger paintings in the dust?"

"Don't know, ask him."

She looked at Deidara curiously. "Why?"

"It's his house."

Sakura stared wide-eyed at Deidara, who glared at Kisame, obviously not happy that he was running his big pointy-toothed mouth. "It is?"

"More like my family home, yeah. Anyway, nobody's lived here for years." His words held a note of finality. This subject was finished, and asking anymore personal questions would lead to somebody getting hurt.

"Oh," she murmured, not knowing what else to say.

The three ninja sat in silence, one eating, the other two just staring into space. After a moment, Deidara noticed the smirk on Sakura's face and frowned. "What's so funny, hm?"

The kunoichi looked up at him and smiled faintly. "Oh, nothing. I just never would have taken you for a farm boy."

His scowl deepened. "Well there's a lot about me you don't know, isn't there?" he snapped.

Sakura frowned. This guy clearly had some deep-seated issues. "Likewise," she muttered indignantly. She hopped down from the countertop, taking care not to brush against Kisame, put the half empty carton back with the others, and was about to leave when Deidara spoke again.

"There's a study in the back of the house. Maybe there's a book in there or something."

Sakura stopped, surprised by his cooperation, however grudging. "Thanks."

He acted like he didn't hear her, and she quickly continued on her way out. She made it three steps when she abruptly bumped into something solid blocking the doorway. Startled, her eyes took in the black and red cloth of an Akatsuki cloak before moving up and meeting the dark crimson stare of Itachi. The small space between them was filled with a tension so acute she could almost feel it, like a vibration, and she jumped back as if she'd been burned.

The other Akatsuki watched warily, not sure what might happen. Sakura didn't notice, her eyes focused tenaciously over the Uchiha's shoulder. His attention was entirely on her. "Excuse me," she said very quietly.

After what seemed like an eternity, he shifted his weight to one side of the frame, just enough for her to get by. His eyes followed her as she moved past him quickly and out of sight.

Sakura fled as fast as she could without running. She cursed herself for not paying better attention to her surroundings. She was in the presence of enemies, damn it! She didn't know how Itachi managed to sneak up on people like that with such a powerful aura, but she would be more careful from now on. She definitely didn't want _that_ to happen again.

Composing herself, she made her way to the other end of the house, intent on finding the study Deidara mentioned.

* * *

The small campfire cracked and hissed as Karin poked it aggressively with a long stick. The bored kunoichi adjusted her glasses and frowned across the flames at Suigetsu, who raised his head and glared back at her. For the last two hours he'd been honing the edges of his enormous stolen sword with a whetstone, and the sound was driving her crazy.

Metal scraping stone had been the only sound in their small campsite for hours. They weren't normally this silent, but the last few days had been…different. She couldn't stand to talk to the Mist nin across from her, so she remained silent and withdrawn. She never had much success in conversing with the other member of their party, but right now it was out of the question for the same reason she refrained from fighting with Suigetsu tonight; their arguing wouldn't be tolerated when their unofficial leader was like this. It was common for Sasuke to have bad moods and sit around brooding, but he'd never been this bad before.

Her eyes rose to the trees overhead, the light of the moon just barely illuminating the figure seated on one of the large branches several feet above their campsite. The tomboy kunoichi could feel his dark, brooding aura even from this distance, and she knew his foul mood was due to what they learned in that town a few days ago.

#

_Hebi entered the town just as the sun began to set. It was a busy market day, judging by the vendor stalls, but that wasn't what had people milling about and talking noisily. It was immediately clear that something big had gone down here very recently. The rumors of an Akatsuki related disturbance appeared to be true after all. After walking through the heart of town for a few minutes, they came upon the scene of the commotion. _

"_Whoa!" Suigetsu gaped as they took in the sight before them. _

_They were in what looked to be the city center, or what was left of it. The open plaza was large and paved in an elaborate mosaic, now in ruins thanks to the gigantic crater in the center. On the far side of the square, one of the buildings was partially collapsed. They moved closer to the rubble, taking care to avoid the masked ANBU that could be seen weaving through the crowd, conducting an investigation. It wasn't clear if they were Grass nin or from some other village, possibly Leaf since they were so close to the Fire border. Either way, the rogue trio made sure no to get too close. _

"_What the hell happened here?" Karin wondered. _

"_It looks like a bomb went off…" Suigetsu said, more to himself than in reply to her._

"_Ooh, maybe it was that Deidara guy? You know, that one Akatsuki who blows things up. What do you think, Sasuke-kun?" She looked over at their silent companion. _

_Sasuke looked annoyed, as much as his face ever showed any emotion nowadays. If it had been Akatsuki, they were obviously gone now. "No, it wasn't caused by him."_

"_How do you know?" _

"_There are no burn marks or charring to indicate an explosion," he explained impatiently. "This was caused by a massive impact of some kind."_

_Karin grabbed the elbow of an elderly woman standing nearby. "Hey, lady. Do you know what happened here?"_

_The woman took in Karin's appearance and frowned. "There was some kind of big battle between ninja. I suppose you would know more about that kind of thing than me, girl." She snatched her arm away. _

_Sasuke walked over and stood in between them before Karin did something unpleasant to the older woman. "Excuse me, but can you tell me more?" For all his arrogance, Sasuke _had_ been taught manners and knew how to use them when he needed to. _

_The woman turned her attention to Sasuke, taking in his handsome face and authoritative manner, deciding maybe this one wasn't so bad after all. "Well what I heard was, this medical ninja showed up in town this morning looking for one of the city councilmen, saying they'd come all the way from the ninja village in Fire country. Isn't that odd? Healer-ninjas…I didn't even know they existed. Kind of a contradiction, if you ask me. Anyway, this ninja-doctor shows up on the councilman's doorstep wanting to cure him, only he wasn't sick in the first place, so the medic was turned away. That's when it happened."_

"_When _what_ happened?" Karin demanded impatiently._

_The old woman glared at the kunoichi before returning her attention to the handsome man, her dramatic pause being lost on the rough looking group. "Well, the ninja-medic was attacked by a bunch of other ninjas just outside the councilman's home. They got in a huge fight and caused all this ruckus. That's the councilman's house over there, what's left of it anyway." She pointed to the half-collapsed townhouse. _

"_Can you tell me anymore about the other shinobi?" Sasuke prodded._

_The woman eyed him suspiciously. "Are you one of those investigators running around here?" _

"_Something like that."_

_The old woman shrugged. "Well, I was over on Market Street when I heard this loud crashing sound, and came running over here with the rest of the crowd. It was the craziest thing I ever saw. There were four really mean looking ninjas ganging up on the poor medic. They were all wearing big dark cloaks with red clouds on them. One of them had a huge sword like your friend there." She pointed at Suigetsu. _

_The Mist nin had only been half-listening, but his head snapped in their direction at the mention of the huge sword. Sasuke also tensed up at her description. It _had_ been Akatsuki, and one of them was Kisame. That could only mean that Itachi had been here as well. He wanted to find the trail fast, and was tempted to take off immediately, but the woman wasn't finished. _

"_I guess they were some kind of famous bad guys. But the really crazy thing is, all this damage wasn't caused by them."_

"_What do you mean?" Sasuke prodded again, annoyed with the old woman's flair for the dramatic. _

"_The medic ninja from Fire country, what is it…Leaf Village I think it was… she did all of it."_

"She?"_ Suigetsu asked incredulously, making Karin roll her eyes. _

"_She sure did! That hole in the councilman's house…that was from her kicking one of those cloaked ninja straight through the wall. From about fifty feet away, mind you! And the big crater there, she did that too, just stomped her foot down and _BOOM!_ Never seen anything like it. It looked like she killed the one she kicked into the wall, but no one knows for sure since they carried him away when they left."_

"_What happened to the medic?" Karin wanted to know._

"_Oh, the rest of them got involved and beat the tar out of her, then they took her away with them. I guess they wanted to kidnap her all along."_

_It wasn't hard to figure out why a group of missing-nin wanted a medic. Sasuke was calculating how much they would be slowed by their hostage. If he left now maybe he could catch up tonight. His thoughts were interrupted by the old woman again. _

"_Such a shame." She shook her head sadly, "She was such a young, cute thing, with the prettiest pink hair…I hate to think what they might do to her."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened. _Pink hair?_ No, it wasn't possible… But logic told him that yes, it most certainly _was_._

"Pink hair_…are you sure?" he asked sharply. _

_The other members of Hebi looked at Sasuke in surprise. Was that…_alarm_ in his voice?_

_The woman scoffed. "Of _course_ I'm sure! How could you mistake something like pink hair?"She stepped back with a gasp when the handsome man's eyes flashed red and he disappeared in a blur. _

_A moment later the remaining two shinobi streaked away after their leader. _

#

Sasuke huffed angrily and shifted his perch in the tree. They'd been following the Akatsuki trail for two days. They'd lost it again a few hours back, and now it was too dark so they had to wait until morning.

The more he thought about the situation, the moodier he became. Who exactly did Akatsuki want to follow them? Why did they kidnap a medic? Aside from the general usefulness of a medic nin, Sasuke could make a few educated guesses. He suspected that his brother was having eye problems, because Sasuke was starting to have them himself. While in Sound, since he couldn't let his guard down even for a moment, his Sharingan had been almost constantly active—something it was not meant to do. He began noticing the side effects a couple years ago, though usually it was just his eyes feeling very tired. Itachi had kept his Sharingan activated constantly for over a decade, so he must be having serious problems by now.

However, this was no random attempt to snag themselves a medic nin. It had been a carefully designed trap specifically for _that_ medic. Sasuke scowled deeper, remembering the woman's account. _Pink hair_…from Konoha. He had only ever seen two kunoichi with pink hair. One was Tayuya, long dead and definitely _not_ from Konoha. The _other_ was… "Sakura," he whispered to the night, his frown deepening.

Sakura a medic nin? He could believe it; she'd always had excellent chakra control, as well as the compassion to be a healer. But Sakura fighting Akatsuki? Haruno Sakura doing all that damage with her bare hands? That he found hard to believe. Sakura had always been unimpressive in terms of power. The old woman had said it looked like the kunoichi killed one of her attackers. The idea of Sakura killing an Akatsuki was ridiculous.

Though, if he was being honest, Sasuke knew that by thinking of Sakura as incompetent and weak, of no value to people like his brother and Akatsuki, he could deny the possibility that it was her in that town square. He was just making excuses to ease his own mind. He had no idea how much she may have changed over the years. And really, how many pink haired kunoichi from Konoha with the potential to be medics were there?

Entertaining the idea that it _was_ Sakura, what did they want with her? Ransom? Bait for someone else? There was no way it was coincidence. It surely wasn't to bait Sasuke. Nobody would think to do that, since he'd never indicated that Sakura meant anything to him. And Itachi didn't give a damn about fighting him, he knew. Every time he'd encountered his brother in the past, Itachi had only paid attention to Naruto, completely ignoring Sasuke until attacked by him. A few years later Sasuke learned why: Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside him and Itachi had orders to collect him for his organization.

Everything suddenly snapped into place. Sakura had been taken by Akatsuki in order to lure Naruto out into the open and capture him. Most likely they would kill Naruto or whatever it was they wanted to do, and keep Sakura as their personal medic.

Sasuke's eyes flashed red in the darkness as his anger flared. Why did this always happen? For the first time in six long years he had a clear path to his brother, and of course it had to be complicated by his old teammates being involved! The twig he'd been fiddling with snapped in his hand. Damn them! How did they always manage to make things more difficult for him? Sakura was in the hands of his twisted brother, suffering untold horrors, and Naruto was sure to go after her once he found out. Being the idiot he always was, he would probably run straight into the trap. They were both going to end up dead.

Sasuke couldn't quite admit that he was worried about them, but he couldn't fully deny it either.

One thing was certain: he would be meeting up with his old teammates very soon. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, or what would happen when they did meet. Would they try to force him to come back with them? Would they get in the way of killing his brother? They had gotten in his way before, but he knew they meant well. They did care about him. They had fought for him before, tried to save him at the risk of their own lives.

Maybe, if they were all lucky, if he survived the confrontation with his brother, he could return the favor.

* * *

Sakura lay in bed facing the window, trying to fall sleep. She'd spent the rest of the afternoon holed up in the study at the back of the house on the bottom floor. After snooping through the shelves and drawers of the old desk, she'd found several books worth reading.

What surprised her were the scrolls she found under a panel in one of the desk drawers, the hidden compartment revealed as the wood had warped with age. Some of them were jutsu, and she had to wonder what ninja scrolls were doing in a farmhouse. It was obvious they had been in that drawer for some time. Kisame said this was Deidara's family home, and Deidara had confirmed it. Were they all ninja, and if so why had they lived in a farmhouse and not in Iwagakure? Where were they now? Only Deidara knew the answers. She'd taken the scrolls, of course, hidden them in the inner lining of her bag. She was a ninja after all, and they might be useful for something once she got back to Konoha.

Suddenly her senses prickled and she heard her door click open. She didn't turn, remaining still and breathing evenly to feign sleep. _Speak of the devil_, she thought, recognizing the intruder's chakra. Deidara was standing in her doorway, watching her. After a moment he moved inside, and sounds placed him near her dresser. There was a soft shuffle, like he'd set something down on it. He turned then, and she could feel his eyes on her back. He snorted under his breath and walked back to the doorway.

Sakura knew he knew she was awake, that was why he'd snorted; amusement at her failed attempt to fool him. She heard him stop in the doorway and turn to look at her again. Another soft rustle of fabric, and along with it she heard that distinct _whoosh_ of a kunai being thrown.

It was aimed at the back of her head, and she caught it easily. Without turning to look, she flipped it in her hand and threw it back. Deidara caught it several inches from his face, impressed that she had such good instincts and precise aim without looking. For the first time in three days he smiled, chuckling softly as he left the hellcat to her beauty sleep.

Sakura was smiling as well. On the surface it appeared to be a stealthy attempt on her life, at the very least an open threat or intimidation tactic. But Sakura knew better. She was born and raised in a ninja village, and she understood ninja ways. She took the kunai thrown at the back of her head while she was supposedly sleeping as a compliment. Hurling a deadly weapon at her while her back was turned was an indication of respect, a testament of her skill. He _knew_ she would catch it. He wouldn't have done it otherwise, because to accidentally kill her would surely get him in big trouble.

Now that he was gone, she sat up and turned to see what he'd been doing in her room. She looked at the dresser and couldn't help the small sound of surprise that escaped her lips. There on the top of the dresser, neatly folded, were her clothes from the shed outside. _What on earth compelled him to do that_? She flopped back down on her pillow with a grin.

What a weird day.


	6. Swords and Saviors

**Perception**

Chapter Six**: **Swords and Saviors

* * *

Naruto shifted in his sleep, turning onto his side as his body subconsciously sought the source of warmth next to him. A small smile formed on his sleeping face as his nose buried into raven hair. His arms wrapped tighter around the smaller frame with a contented sigh as he nuzzled his face into that perfect place between her neck and shoulder, silky strands tickling his nose and cheek. The woman in his arms murmured softly in her sleep, that sweet sound that was half moan, half dreamy sigh, and curled her body back further into him.

The two sleeping ninja attempted to melt into each other for another moment before finally settling into a mutually comfortable position. They were just about to drift away again when a loud rapping sound made them both shoot up in the bed, instantly awake.

Hinata let out the breath she was holding and Naruto groaned in annoyance as the sound came again, not as loud as it originally sounded to their sleeping ears, and they recognized it as someone knocking on the door. Naruto slid to the edge of the bed and silently got to his feet. Hinata pulled the covers further up her body to conceal the fact that she was wearing nothing but panties and a t-shirt—the same t-shirt Naruto had worn earlier in the day. Wearing only his boxers, Naruto grabbed a kunai from the floor where his discarded leg holster lay, and padded silently to the door.

Not bothering to think about the fact that an enemy probably wouldn't bother to knock, because hey, you never knew… he quickly opened the door with the kunai held ready and out of sight. His alert expression fell instantly into a frown as the door swung open to reveal Sai, fully dressed and wide awake.

Naruto groaned. "What the hell do you want?" He glanced at the clock on his kitchen wall. "And at two in the morning?"

Sai's voice was quiet but firm. "Naruto, hurry up and get dressed."

"Huh? In the middle of the night? What the hell for?"

"The Hokage's summoned us. We need to go now."

There was a slight edge to his voice, and his dark eyes glinted with something strange. "Sai, what's going on? Did something happen?" Without waiting for an answer he moved back into his apartment and quickly began to throw his clothes on.

He left the front door open for Sai to follow, but his teammate remained standing on the doormat. It was probably for the best; Hinata was still in his bed in a state only _he_ should see her in. She was watching him with concern, and he gave her a small worried frown as he zipped his pants and pulled his boots on. He grabbed another shirt from a drawer since Hinata was wearing the other one, and he walked back into the front of the apartment as he pulled it over his head. "What happened? Where's Kakashi?"

"He's already there. I don't know what's going on yet, but the message said it's an emergency."

Naruto grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair and threw it on. Halfway out the door, he stopped suddenly, ran back to his bed and leaned over Hinata, who was still sitting up and staring at him anxiously. Her pale lavender eyes nearly glowed in the moonlight. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Be careful," she whispered. He kissed her quickly, then zipped his jacket and ran out the door.

Sai was perched on the balcony railing of his third-story landing, and he nimbly jumped up next to him. They took to the rooftops, leaping with blinding speed toward the Hokage tower. Naruto and Sai could see the lights blazing in the Hokage's office. Summoning them in the middle of the night was already outside protocol, so they didn't think twice about making straight for the open window; no doubt it had been pushed open for that exact purpose.

Kakashi was standing next to the open frame, and he moved back just in time to let them through. The loose papers on the ornate desk flapped in the breeze caused by their entrance. Sai moved to stand near the bookshelves behind Kakashi. Naruto moved past him to stand near the desk and stared at the still figure of the Hokage.

The tension in the room was palpable. Tsunade stood with her back to them, facing the window. She did that whenever she had news she didn't want to tell and was trying to find the best way to break it to them. She looked different aside from her rigid posture, and it took a moment for Naruto to realize she was shorter. Gone were the uncomfortable looking heels, replaced at this late hour by flat thong sandals. Her long blonde hair was loose and flowing over her back. Apparently she'd been woken up with whatever news she was now about to tell them. Shizune was also there, because she always was, looking just as worn and tired as her master.

Never patient, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and demanded a good reason for dragging him out of his warm bed. "Ok, Baa-chan, what's the meaning of calling us in the middle of the night?"

The Hokage turned around, and Naruto's irritated expression fell. Tsunade looked a wreck. "What happened?"

Tsunade took a steadying breath, drawing on the inner strength that made her a great Hokage. "You know that Sakura left on a short medical mission three days ago," she began. "It was a simple mission, and she was supposed to be back some time today. Normally Sakura would send word if the job was taking longer than expected, and I planned to send a team to find her if she didn't return by tomorrow night." She took another deep breath. "An hour ago I was woken by an emergency message from the captain of an ANBU squad patrolling the border of Grass. They were scouting the area when they heard word of a disturbance in a nearby town; the town Sakura was sent to." Tsunade watched the two younger men intently as the realization hit them. She didn't look at Kakashi; she knew what she would see there and she didn't want to face it. "There was a battle between shinobi that caused major structural damage. The battle was four against one, and it ended with the lone ninja being taken captive."

"Just say it," Naruto demanded hollowly.

"The lone ninja has been confirmed as Sakura. The four who fought and captured her…were Akatsuki." Feeling a great weight settle over the room at her words, she sat down heavily at her desk and put her aching head in her hands.

Naruto exhaled sharply. "Akatsuki…_why?_"

The Hokage stared at the surface of the desk. "I suppose they may want her for her medical skills. But that's probably not the main reason."

"What do you mean, Hokage-sama?" Sai asked.

Tsunade locked eyes with Naruto. _He_ knew; he was just waiting for her to say it aloud. "One of the Akatsuki was identified as Hoshigake Kisame, so it's probable that one of the others was Uchiha Itachi. Most likely they are after _you_, Naruto, and intend to use Sakura as bait."

Fear, anger and guilt passed over Naruto's face in successive waves. He stood rigid for a moment as it all settled in, his grip on the back of the chair turning his knuckles white. Suddenly he threw the chair across the room in a fury. It slammed into the bookshelves and broke into splinters. "_Fuck!_ This is all my fault," he said in anguish. "Sakura-chan was taken because of _me!_ She must be so scared right now… What if they hurt her? What if they torture her…what if they…" He sank to a squat and buried his head in his hands.

Kakashi spoke for the first time since the boys had entered the office. "Naruto, you can't think that way. Sakura is strong, remember that. The structural damage in the town was most likely caused by her. You know she can put up a hell of a fight."

Something was strange in his team leader's tone, breaking Naruto out of his despair and making him look up. Of course Kakashi already knew; as team leader he was informed first and he had already been there when he and Sai arrived. But something was definitely off about him. Gone was his trademark slouch. His hands were in his pockets as usual, but they were clenched tightly into fists. He hadn't looked away from the window once, not even when he'd spoken. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to jump through the open frame and run off into the night.

"They won't hurt her. They need her alive and well if they plan to use her as bait," he reiterated quietly, though it wasn't clear if he was trying to reassure his teammates, or himself.

Naruto had never seen the man so affected by _anything_, and another wave of guilt washed over him at being the source of so much pain and fear to his friends. "Kakashi…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say to him, or even if he should say anything at all.

The Hokage spoke again. "Kakashi is right. Thinking like that won't help the situation. You think I don't blame myself? This wouldn't have happened if the mission had been properly vetted, if I had taken time to check the legitimacy…" She took a deep breath. "Since it's most likely the Kyuubi they're after, we need to be very careful with the rescue…"

Naruto stood abruptly and glared at her. "Don't even _try_ to tell me…"

Not letting Naruto be part of the rescue would be the smart thing to do, as letting him go was essentially falling right into the trap. It was what the elders would demand she do, _if_ she had any intention of telling them beforehand. She wasn't about to let some impartial, duty bound ANBU unit go on this mission. They would see Sakura as just another Leaf nin, as nothing more than the one of village's top medics. Sakura was like a daughter to her.

A heavy sigh escaped her. "I won't tell you that you can't go, Naruto. I know you'd run off after her anyway. I know how much she means to you all, and that you will do whatever it takes to get her back. I would go with you myself if I could. This is a mission to rescue Sakura, Naruto, _not_ for revenge. Do _not_ lose control and don't even _think_ about doing something stupid like trading yourself for her, understood?"

"I won't let them get the Kyuubi. And we _will_ get Sakura-chan back!"

"I know you will. I have the utmost faith in this team. You leave in the morning."

"_What?_" Naruto exclaimed. "No way! We can't wait until morning; we're leaving right now, tonight!"

"I know how you feel, but you can't do that. Once you reach the town where she was taken you won't be able to get information or pick up a trail while it's dark, it will be too—"

"Sakura is in danger! They could be taking her farther and farther away every minute! We need to leave as soon as possible!"

"As soon as possible _is_ in the morning! Kakashi, _you_ talk some sense into him." Tsunade began rubbing her temples. She looked up when no wise words of agreement came from the Copy Ninja. She met his one visible eye, and he looked at her long and hard.

Kakashi wanted to tell her _yes_, this _was_ her fault. She hadn't thought to verify the mission details because the village was too hard up for money and they took whatever they got, and now Sakura was in the hands of their greatest enemy. Only his sense of respect and duty made him hold his tongue with the Hokage, a resolve that was weakening with every minute he had to stand here. He was so furious he wanted to run outside and Raikiri the first thing he came across. He wanted to agree with Naruto and leave right now, this very minute. But he knew that in this matter at least, Tsunade was right.

"I'm afraid leaving right now would be pointless; we won't find a trail when it's dark." He looked at the clock on the wall. "It's now…three o'clock. You have two hours to get ready. We may be gone for some time and we don't know where we're going, so pack accordingly. Naruto, you can tell Hinata about this, but other than that tell no one about this mission or Sakura's kidnapping. We leave at first light."

Sai nodded and climbed back into the windowsill to leave. Unhappy but resigned, Naruto followed his teammate through the open window. Kakashi turned to go as well but Tsunade's voice held him back.

"Kakashi." He didn't step back out of the window, merely turned his head in her direction. Tsunade couldn't bring herself to be affronted this time. Kakashi was right to be angry with her. "I'm sending Tenzou with you. I'll have him briefed by the time you're ready to leave. I want him there in case Naruto gets out of hand. Besides, he cares about Sakura as well. Oh and Kakashi…" The next words were hard to say because she cared deeply about the boy, but it was a necessary precaution. "Keep a close eye on Naruto. I'll tell the same to Tenzou. Whatever happens, the Kyuubi cannot fall into Akatsuki hands, _at all costs_."

She didn't need to say more. The Copy Ninja understood the dire implication all too well. It made him even angrier, but he could see that it hurt her to have to say it. He knew she thought of Naruto as something of a favorite grandchild, or even a little brother, which was why she was so lenient with him. He nodded, "Understood, Hokage-sama," then he leapt from the open window.

* * *

Naruto spent the next two hours in his apartment with Hinata, who did her best to calm his sporadic panic attacks as he alternated between throwing various items into his pack and at the wall. Twice he got so angry that his eyes burned red, the demon inside him thirsting for blood. He was brought down both times by the patient and comforting words of the Hyuuga heiress as she soothed his rage with soft hands and loving embraces. Hinata was never afraid of this rarely seen side of Naruto. As long as the Kyuubi didn't emerge completely she knew he wouldn't hurt her, and she was one of the few who could reach him in this state. It was hard for her to be so calm when she worried for Sakura, and for Naruto, but she knew what she was feeling was nothing compared to what he was going through.

She helped him pack for the journey, because he was too distraught and preoccupied to figure out what he needed or where it was located, and kept trying to stuff random things into his bag that had no purpose on a mission. At one point, during a moment of clarity, Naruto stopped pacing back and forth and simply stood there watching Hinata gather everything he would need for the mission. He was struck by how lucky he was to have her. He knew sometimes he was hopeless and dense, and he didn't know what he would do without her. He'd struggled his whole life to make friends, and losing them was his greatest fear. He had already lost one, now another was in danger because his enemies were using his friends against him. If Itachi had known about Hinata…he would have taken her instead.

Hinata noticed his stillness and looked up. What she saw was an expression so mixed with love and pain and fear that it tore at her heart. She knew he was thinking horrible thoughts, that he was blaming himself and making himself sick with worry. She suddenly found herself in a bone crushing embrace, Naruto's strong hands gripping her for dear life as he buried his face in her neck and whispered harshly that he didn't know what he would do if he lost her. She could only hold him back and whisper in return that he never would.

With dawn approaching, they said goodbye with whispered words of love and promises to be careful and to _return_, before Naruto left her with his key and ran for the main gates.

#

When he got there he found Sai and Kakashi already waiting. Naruto couldn't remember _ever_ seeing the Copy Ninja on time for anything, but in this case he wasn't surprised to see Kakashi not only on time, but early.

Kakashi was perched on one of the tall posts of the main gate, and didn't look down as Naruto joined Sai below and the two started to talk quietly. He was looking out toward the horizon, his thoughts far away in Grass country.

Naruto looked up at Kakashi, and leaned in to mutter quietly to the artist, "If this is what it takes for him to not show up late, I hope he's never on time again."

Sai nodded in somber agreement, his dark eyes thoughtful. He looked up at his team leader. "He was here when I got here."

After leaving the Hokage's office Sai had gone straight to his loft to pack, then went straight to the gates intending to wait for everyone else. It never took him long to prepare for anything and he had no one to say goodbye to; everyone he cared about was going with him, or in Sakura's case, already gone. It hadn't taken him more than thirty minutes, but he still wasn't surprised when he showed up to find Kakashi already there sitting on one of the stone benches, elbows resting on his knees with hands clasped and his head bent in thought. The older man had looked up when he approached, and regarded him with a single dark eye for a moment before standing and jumping to his current location on the pole. Sai hadn't asked why he was actually on time for once, nor did he make attempts to talk to him. The artist was very perceptive and understood far more than people thought he did.

It was quiet between the three men, each lost in their thoughts. Naruto was beginning to wonder why they were still standing around and was about to ask when they heard someone approach, and the two younger men turned around.

"Yamato-senpai," Naruto said, mildly surprised.

"Naruto, Sai," their pseudo-teammate greeted.

Kakashi finally jumped down from his post and walked toward the group, giving his old friend a curt nod. "Yamato."

"Kakashi. I'm guessing we're all ready?"

It was then that Naruto noticed Yamato was wearing a pack similar to the rest of them. "You're coming too?"

Yamato nodded. "The Hokage told me what happened a little while ago. I'm glad she assigned me to this mission. Sakura is important to me, too."

Naruto nodded, pasting on a smile. "Don't worry, we'll rescue Sakura and teach those Akatsuki bastards a lesson!"

"Let's go," said Kakashi.

Full of determination, no more needed to be said, and the four ninja leapt into the trees and raced toward Grass country.

* * *

"Ow! Damn it, watch where you throw those things!" shouted Kisame, who was currently using Samehada as a shield with one hand while protectively covering his sensitive parts with the other. The shark nin ran and hopped around the walled yard erratically, ducking and dodging wave after wave of shuriken and kunai being thrown at blinding speed.

"Why wouldn't I take advantage of so many openings?" Itachi seemed almost bored, but there were small signs indicating otherwise; the set of his shoulders, the slight angle of his head, and the gleam in his eye were all signs of the thrill of the fight.

"Openings, my ass!" More shuriken embedded into the sword's wrappings. "It's that damn Sharingan of yours. It sees openings where there are none." He evaded more projectiles and they flew past him toward the side of the house.

Tobi, who was slumped against the wall in exhaustion from his own sparring match, yelped in alarm and dove out of the way just as the weapons embedded in the wall where his head was only seconds ago.

"Keep telling yourself that, but don't blame me when you get killed by some third-rate shinobi because you weren't paying attention." Itachi smirked before launching another wave of weapons at the shark.

Kisame wondered where all those weapons came from. If he was really armed that heavily he wouldn't be able to walk around. It dawned on him that he'd been caught in a genjutsu for some time now. "Shit…" He groaned and made a hand seal. "Release!"

His partner was smug. "It's about time."

Kisame put up a hand to call a halt and catch his breath. "I was never very good with genjutsu."

"Clearly."

Kisame wiped his sweating brow and took off his cloak, tossing it aside. "Why don't we level the playing field and have us a good old-fashioned sword fight?" He slung Samehada over his shoulder with a wicked grin.

"If that's what you call leveling the playing field." Itachi took off his own cloak, revealing a shoulder holster similar to those worn by ANBU. And just like those of the elite masked ninja, it supported a sleek black ninjato that wasn't usually visible thanks to his high collared coat. He pulled it slowly from the scabbard.

Sakura leaned back on her hands, thoroughly enjoying the show. They may be enemy shinobi, but a battle between two highly skilled swordsmen was always exciting to watch. She sat on the back porch of the old house, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.

Tobi returned to his position against the wall once he'd deemed it safe from any more flying pieces of sharp metal, and busied himself with trying to pull the firmly lodged weapons out of the wall. Deidara sat a few feet from Sakura at the other end of the porch, one elbow resting on his bent knee, the broken one tucked to his side.

The three of them watched the spar in silence, the clash of metal against metal stirring their blood. It was entrancing to watch the elite warriors move back and forth across the yard in their savage dance, and something primal stirred deep within Sakura as she watched them. She sighed softly and smiled, feeling that mixture of exhaustion and contentment one only got from a grueling workout.

These sparring sessions had been going for three days now. She'd been spending most of the past two days in the old study, reading whatever looked interesting, still trying to avoid her captors as much as possible, but the ringing of weapons had caught her attention and she eventually found herself watching them spar from her window. The first day Sakura was still too uncomfortable to impose on their activities. Yesterday she had quietly opened the back door and watched them from the doorway, before Deidara told her to stop lurking and letting the cold air inside. She'd crept out and sat some distance away. Tobi had waved at her and said hello, all past grievances apparently forgotten. From what she'd witnessed in her six days of captivity, the somewhat obnoxious masked ninja was used to being pummeled and yelled at by his comrades, especially his short-tempered partner.

Today she'd felt more confident, and had taken a seat next to Deidara on the porch. He didn't seem to mind, or at least hadn't said anything if he did. Kisame suggested with a sadistic grin that she spar with Tobi. The masked Akatsuki didn't like the idea much, but he agreed. It was taijutsu only, since they obviously weren't going to give her a weapon. He was a skilled fighter, as she already knew, but Sakura had greater agility and chakra-enhanced strength on her side, and eventually knocked him out cold. After that, Kisame wanted to use her as a warm up. She quickly learned that the former Mist nin not only looked like beast, but had the strength and stamina of one too. The flying kick she landed to his head should have taken him down, knocked a few teeth loose, or put him out entirely. Instead, he only ended up with a nasty black eye and bruised cheekbone. Sakura ended up with several large bruises and a broken nose that bled profusely, and she'd had to cede the match and attend to it before she passed out.

She looked down her front at the torn, dirty and bloodstained mess of her shirt. It was too far gone to be salvaged, and she was glad she still had another to fall back on. It wasn't so bad, she decided. One ruined shirt was well worth the approving looks and grudging words of respect she got from the elite ninja watching her fight.

The only one not dirty and sweaty was Deidara, who was not happy about having to sit out and had a fixed frown-pout on his face for the better part of their sessions. They were limited with what they could do in this place, forced to stick to weapons training and hand-to-hand, as any ninjutsu could damage the house or alert others to their presence here. Considering Deidara's ninjutsu consisted of loud elaborate explosions, and he was unable to do other forms of training due to his broken arm, he was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch. Sakura was a bit disappointed too; she was curious to see what else the explosives master could do besides blow things up.

Sakura studied the movements of the sparring partners. Kisame was much stronger, and his swings contained deadly brute force, but Itachi was clearly the better swordsman. He moved with a refinement, grace and skill that were nothing short of a master. It was beautiful to watch. _He_ was beautiful to watch, and she found herself becoming slightly hypnotized by it. It was hard to tell under the large bulky cloaks they all wore, but she noticed now that he was actually not very large. Kisame was nearly a foot taller, and twice as broad. The Uchiha was slender and of average height, with a strong, lean musculature. The ideal body type for a shinobi. It amazed her that someone so relatively small could have such a large and intimidating presence.

"See something you like, hm?"

She turned her head to find that Deidara had been watching _her_ watch Itachi. Trying not to look embarrassed or make it seem like more than it was, she smiled. "It's beautiful to watch, isn't it? When two skilled swordsmen go at it like that. Most people wouldn't think anything so violent could be beautiful, but it is if you look at it the right way. They way they move almost looks like a dance, almost like…art."

Something lit up behind those icy blue eyes and he smiled at her. A real smile, and she noticed for the first time that he was actually quite handsome. "Yeah…" he agreed quietly, looking back to the match. "It is."

Their peaceful moment of understanding didn't last long, as Tobi's remarkable sense of bad timing and habitual tactlessness kicked in at that moment. "Too bad you can't join them, huh Deidara-senpai?"

Deidara had dropped the frown some time ago, and had actually looked rather peaceful for the last few minutes, but it returned instantly the moment Tobi spoke, and much deeper than before as he glared daggers at his partner. "Damn it, Tobi, what the hell is _wrong_ with you? When are you gonna learn to keep your damn mouth shut?"

Tobi, clearly never one to get the hint, decided to dig his hole a little deeper. "Hehe, sorry Deidara-senpai! I was just trying to say you must hate it that Sakura-san hurt your arm so bad…she's sure got a mean punch huh? If you don't get it healed soon you may never be able to use it again, wouldn't that suck?" Anything else he may have said was cut off with a yelp as he dodged the kunai flung at his head.

Deidara jumped to his feet. "I swear I'm gonna fucking murder you in your sleep one of these days!" He pulled back his cloak and reached his good hand into one of his pouches, intent on launching a clay grenade at his clueless partner.

The commotion caused Itachi and Kisame to pause their match. A real fight was clearly about to break out. Deidara looked like he was ready to rip Tobi a new one, broken arm or not, so Sakura decided to intervene before she was caught in the blast radius of one of his bombs. "Deidara-san wait, don't fight with him here. You know Tobi is a little dense. I don't think he was _trying_ to insult you." She laughed lightly and grabbed his arm with both hands, applying slight pressure to coax him into lifting it out of the clay pouch.

Deidara jerked sharply at the contact and glared at her in outrage. He obviously wasn't used to being touched like that. Then there was the fact that _she_ was the reason his arm was fucked up and hurting so bad and maybe he should be blowing _her_ up instead…

Sakura slowly removed her hands with an apologetic expression. "I'm pretty hungry, I think I'm going to go make some lunch…" She trailed off, hoping he'd get the hint and come with her into the house and away from Tobi, who still didn't have the good sense to get the hell out of there.

She was getting nervous, since Deidara still looked like he was debating whether or not to hurt her. But a moment later something changed in his eyes, and eventually his angry glare was replaced by the trademark frown-pout. She had come to think of it as cute, and she smiled at him before opening the door. She held it open and turned to look at him. Deidara cast a final, surly glare at his partner and followed Sakura into the house.


	7. Sensitive Subject Matter

**Perception**

Chapter Seven: Sensitive Subject Matter

* * *

Making lunch with Deidara consisted mostly of Sakura doing all work while he sat at the island counter and sulked. She didn't mind; she was just glad he'd calmed down. After all, the way his partner goaded him – intentionally or not – would have made _her_ fly off the handle too if she were in his position. So she gave him a few minutes to cool off and went about her task quietly so as not to remind him that technically, _she_ should be the true target of his wrath.

After a few minutes Deidara was finally ready to let it go and leaned his chin on his good hand with a long-suffering sigh. He couldn't believe he'd just let himself be talked down from giving Tobi a well deserved beating by an enemy kunoichi with pink hair.

Sakura smiled to herself, thinking they were similar in this way. She too had a bit of an uncontrollable temper when she was pushed too far, usually by Naruto. She set the tray of bread, fruit and cheese she'd put together on the counter and sat on the stool to his right. Deidara must have been hungry too because he immediately grabbed some of the assortment and started to eat. Sakura did the same, and after a moment she figured it was relatively safe to begin a conversation. "So, is he always like that?"

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately."

"I'm kind of surprised you haven't killed him before now then."

"I keep trying, but nobody will ever let me, yeah." She smiled at that, and he smirked at her before returning to his meal.

"How did someone like him end up in Akatsuki anyway?"

"Hell if I know. I guess Zetsu found him years ago in Grass country and made him one of his peons. When Sasori died," he glanced at her with an unreadable expression, "he pestered and annoyed his way in to the organization. Leader gave him Sasori's ring and stuck him with me, as if I hadn't been through enough already, yeah."

Sakura remembered that time in Wind country. Those were certainly a rough few days for the explosives master. He had been severely injured and eventually dismembered. Not to mention his partner had been killed. By _her_.

She studied his profile as he spoke. She'd noticed that he seemed to like that left stool because he always sat there, and she wondered if maybe it was habit; something he had done as a child and was doing now without realizing. What must it be like for him to be back here after all this time, to see the place like this? There must be memories around every corner. No wonder he was always in a bad mood; the past wasn't something many missing nin liked to dwell on.

"I remember," she said finally. He gave her another unreadable look. They stared at each other for a long moment, sorting through the memories they shared from opposite sides. "Um…how did you get your arm back?"

He frowned, the memory apparently unpleasant. "Kakuzu," was all he said.

"Oh," she muttered, making a face at her memory of the creepy zombie man. "I have to say…it was pretty cool to see you explode like that, even if it wasn't really you."

"Heh. It _was_ pretty artistic, yeah." He smiled and resumed eating.

Sakura went back to her own meal, but after a minute Deidara spoke again. "You know, I always wondered what happened, exactly…how you and that old hag killed Sasori."

Now _that_ was a conversation she never expected to have with him, and she was wary that it may be some sort of trick question so she chose her words very carefully. "Well, Chiyo-sama was his grandmother, first of all…"

Deidara's brows shot up. "Was she? That's kind of twisted."

"She was a puppet master too, and she used puppets that looked like his dead parents to fight him."

He was laughing under his breath now. "That's so fucked up. No wonder he turned out like he did."

Sakura frowned at him. "She wasn't like that. Though…I guess it _was_ pretty cruel. He didn't seem to care though. There were hundreds of puppets flying all over the place…it was really strange. I didn't know which were whose sometimes. Chiyo-sama even used _me_ as a puppet at one point."

A gleam lit his azure eyes. "I bet that was fun, yeah?"

"Well I didn't really have time to notice then…but, yeah, it _was_ pretty exciting flying around like that." She smiled. She wasn't sure how much detail she should go into here, since this was the fight to the death with his old partner they were talking about.

But Deidara urged her to continue. "So? How did it end, hm?"

She studied him. "Did you ever see his real body? I mean, the one underneath..."

"The chibi-doll? Once, though not many others in Akatsuki ever did."

"Well, once I discovered where his heart was, Chiyo-sama made the parent puppets stab his heart with their swords, and he died…" She trailed off, watching him closely for a reaction.

He was quiet a moment, and then shrugged with one shoulder, keeping his injured arm still. "Sounds like a good fight. When they found him the place was all broken up. Was that you?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She was thoughtful for a moment. "You know, back then I was still a chuunin, nowhere near what I am now. I'm pretty sure I just got lucky. He poisoned me, and I think…if Chiyo-sama wasn't there…I probably would have died."

He shrugged again. "Eh, he was probably too overconfident."

"Actually, I think he let it happen…"

"What do you mean?"

"He should have been able to block that last attack, but he didn't. And Chiyo-sama said her attack left her open but he didn't take advantage of it. She thought maybe…he let her hit him. I don't really know," she finished quietly.

"Hm," he answered, thinking over her words.

"Deidara-san…"

He caught on to her tone and cut her off. "I hope you're not going to apologize for killing Sasori." He turned his body to regard her fully, grimacing slightly as his broken arm shifted in his lap. "And just call me Deidara, yeah."

"He was your partner…"

"Yeah…but he was _your_ enemy." He saw her stunned expression and sighed. "Look, I don't hold it against you. What I _would_ hold against you, is if you felt bad for killing an enemy that would have killed _you_ if he could have. That's the world we live in, Sakura. Shinobi live short, violent lives and then we die. All we can hope for is a fitting death that creates a beautiful moment of art before we take our last breath. And Sasori got one; he would have appreciated the manner of his death and that it was at your hands, yeah."

She stared at him in wonder. His words had a sort of morbid poetry to them that she understood, warped as they were. She quirked a brow at him. "What do you mean, about it being at _my_ hands?"

Deidara smirked. "Sasori appreciated things that were artistic and beautiful. Not many shinobi are lucky enough to die at the hands of a beautiful kunoichi. Or if they do it's because they were stupid enough to let a woman seduce them and then kill them in their sleep. It's rare to encounter a kunoichi who's beautiful _and_ a true warrior, so I'm sure he thought it wasn't such a bad way to go."

Sakura was taken aback. His honest appraisal had her slightly flustered, and she hoped she wasn't blushing. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"Don't thank me. I was just stating a fact, not giving you a compliment."

Sakura laughed softly. He was being nice to her, and trying to brush it off. She wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. "Yeah…but in this case, they're the same thing."

He frowned a little. "If you say so, yeah. Just don't start thinking I was flirting with you."

She scoffed. "I know _that_. Are you always this sweet? You must be quite popular with the ladies," she said dryly.

"Obviously." He grinned and held up his right hand, suggestively wiggled _two_ of his tongues at her.

Sakura's jaw dropped. The implication was so weird and scandalously fascinating that she was momentarily speechless. "That's so…so…" She trailed off in bewilderment, not wanting to say anything that might offend him _or_ give him the wrong idea.

He was grinning ear to ear now, thoroughly enjoying her flustered state. "Awesome? Artistic? Sexy?"

"Perverted!" she retorted indignantly. She was blushing furiously, thinking about his _three_ mouths, doing…_that_…there…or _there_. She shook her head to clear the mental images away. Meanwhile, Inner Sakura was having a field day.

Deidara, of course, saw right through her façade. "I know you're thinking about it, yeah."

"It's kind of hard _not_ to. I think I'm scarred for life now."

He could see the wheels still turning in her mind as she stared at his hand, now resting on the countertop between them. Suddenly she looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes that was slightly unsettling.

"Can I see it?"

He nearly choked. "_What?_"

His teasing had backfired and awoken her curiosity. "Can I see it? Your hand."

She was serious, and he wasn't sure what to think about it. Or her. "Why…?" he asked warily.

"It's just really…interesting. I just want to look at it…please?"

She was giving him The Eyes; those big green puppy eyes that got under the skin of even the hardest men. Goddamn it. Was she messing with him? He sighed. He almost told her that she better not try to pull anything or he would break her into little pieces, but decided against it. He sensed no ill-intent from her, only genuine curiosity. He carefully held out his right arm, watching her like he thought she would to bite it off.

Sakura didn't bite, only grabbed his hand gently, pushing his sleeve away from his knuckles, and turned it over to examine his palm. "Wow…" she murmured, her fingers gently prodding the flat, lip-like edges.

Deidara had no idea what to make of this. The look on her face, the fascination with his hands. Most people he met were freaked out by them. "You're a strange girl, Sakura," he said quietly, with something close to awe.

"I know," she said simply, continuing to examine him. "It's really…kind of cool, actually." She was too engrossed in her observations to see him smile at her. "How does it work?"

Deidara supposed he could tell her. It didn't really matter, since no one but him could ever do it. "They convert my charka into a liquid compound that I infuse into the clay."

"Neat. How can they make such elaborate sculptures so quickly?"

He smirked. "Practice, yeah. Lots and lots of practice."

"So…you enlarge and then detonate them with jutsu?"

"That's right. Pretty artistic, hm?"

"Yeah, it is. Is it a bloodline limit?"

"Yes."

"So there's a whole clan of people out there with mouths in their hands?"

"No."

Sakura looked up in surprise. His expression warned not to go too far into this particular subject, so she didn't. She didn't know what to think about what he just revealed. Part of her felt bad for him, that he was the last of his clan, that some tragedy in his past had left him alone in the world. But another part of her reminded that this man was not exactly an innocent, and it was possible that he may even be the cause of his clan's nonexistence, like Itachi. It was best not to ask.

She pushed one of the edges back and began lightly tapping the teeth with her fingertip, when the mouth suddenly opened and the teeth lightly nipped her. She squeaked and snatched her hand away, looking up at Deidara in indignant surprise. "You bit me!"

He smirked wickedly. "Oops."

She gave him a look. "Jerk. Keep doing that sort of thing and you'll never get a girl to agree to a second date."

"Who says I'd want a second date? Bad guy, remember?" he said, in a tone that could only be described as 'duh.' "And there you go thinking naughty thoughts about me again. You're kind of perverted, yeah."

Sakura flicked the center of his palm where the lips were, making it sting. He quirked a brow at her and almost laughed.

"Don't call _me_ a pervert; _you're_ the one who brought it up in the first place. And just because you're a 'bad guy' doesn't mean you have be a cliché. Besides, being a womanizing pig isn't necessarily 'bad guy' behavior. There are plenty of supposed 'good guys' out there who do the same thing." She turned his hand over to look at the other side, curiously studied his blackened fingernails. All Akatsuki members had black nails, she'd noticed. "Is this some kind of jutsu? I can't imagine you all sitting around giving each other manicures."

They both laughed at that, the mental images her words conjured being utterly ridiculous. He didn't answer her question however, just gave her a 'wouldn't _you_ like to know' sort of look. She scratched his thumbnail with one of her own, and when no paint chipped off she turned her attention to the ring on his index finger. "Blue…" She ran her thumb over the symbol. "Does it mean anything special?"

"Yep."

She met his eyes, so similar in color to the background of his ring. "What does it mean?"

"Well…become a missing nin and get yourself into Akatsuki and you'll learn the answers to all three questions, yeah."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Sure. _That_ will happen."

He was still smirking, but his eyes were serious. "No missing-nin started out with the intention of ending up where they are now, Sakura. Life has a way of not going where you though it would."

Sakura stared at him. There was a lot more to this missing-nin than it seemed. And he was absolutely right. "Believe me, I know," she said quietly, thinking how different her own life was from the one she imagined for herself long ago. It hardly compared with that of a missing-nin, but she did understand. She let go of his hand at last, and he returned it to his lap.

They'd been in the kitchen for quite a while now, and she wondered where everyone else was. The two of them still sat facing each other on their stools, their meal finished and long forgotten. They sat there quietly for a few more minutes, before Sakura stood and straightened her filthy shirt. "I should go clean up." She was on her way out of the kitchen when he spoke up.

"You know, I never did thank you for the number you did on my arm, yeah."

For a moment she worried what he meant by that, but she could tell by his sardonic expression that he was teasing. She set a hand on her hip. "And I never thanked you for the lovely hickey you gave me," she returned dryly. He raised a brow in curiosity, and she tilted her head and tossed her hair to reveal the reddened set of teeth marks still visible on the pale skin of her neck.

He leaned closer to examine his handiwork and smiled. "It was my pleasure."

"I'll bet it was, perv."

His smile turned mischievous. "Want another one, hm?"

"Are you flirting with me now?"

"…Maybe."

Laughing softly, Sakura walked out of the kitchen,

* * *

Sakura made her way upstairs, eager to get out of her soiled clothes and take a long, hot shower. Still thinking about the enlightening conversation downstairs, she turned the handle on the bathroom door and went in, intending to get the water running and hot before – _shit! _

She barely ducked in time as something whizzed past her ear and stuck in the doorframe with a resounding _thud_. A single shuriken was embedded in the wood inches from her face. If she hadn't moved… With widened eyes she turned her head slowly to locate the source of the projectile.

And came face to face with a very _shirtless_ Uchiha. How she hadn't noticed his presence in time to save herself from this little embarrassment, she had no idea. He'd obviously just showered after his training session, and was apparently in the middle of strapping on his leg holster when she opened the door.

Her breath caught slightly, and she dearly hoped Itachi hadn't heard it. His hair was loose, falling in long, wet strands over his shoulders and back. It should have made him look more effeminate, but oh no…it definitely did not. Not with the rest of him so…exposed. Sakura had noticed his slender frame earlier, but he definitely couldn't be considered scrawny. The lean, sinuous muscles of his arms and torso were well defined and even more visible due to a lack of any body fat. She mentally slapped herself—this was _Itachi_ she was ogling! Still she couldn't help but notice that his black pants rode quite low around his narrow hips, or that his hipbones protruded just a little, defining the top of that 'v' that led to…_Stop it! He can see you looking, stupid! Don't look _there_, look at his eyes. No wait! Don't look at his _eyes_; he'll kill you! Look at his…mouth. NO! Gah! _She ended up looking at the floor instead, utterly mortified.

What had seemed like an eternity to Sakura was really only a few seconds, and since she was obviously too flustered to say anything, Itachi spoke first. "It's considered rude to enter without knocking, kunoichi." He smirked darkly. "It's also impolite to stare."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to walk in. I was…distracted," she said lamely, and looked over at the sink to avoid his piercing gaze. Among _other_ things.

He made an amused sound. "Clearly."

Angrily, she locked eyes with him. He was so fucking _arrogant_! Obviously it ran in the family. "_You're_ the one who left the door unlocked."

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes glinting in the low light. "And you're the one with the enhanced ability to sense chakra. You shouldn't let your guard down so easily, kunoichi. Who knows what might happen."

Did he just…no. No way. He couldn't possibly mean it like _that_…her mind was just in the gutter. As if to prove it, she was distracted again by a tiny rivulet of water that suddenly dripped from the end of his hair and trailed its way down the plane of his smooth chest, and her eyes followed its progress as it moved along the ups and downs of his firm stomach and disappeared into the waistband of his pants.

Sakura realized what she'd just done, looked up quickly and saw that he'd _noticed_. His face had lost some of its blankness and there was a small, amused smile on his lips. She blushed furiously and looked away. "I'll come back…" she muttered, and turned to leave.

"There's no need, I'm finished," he said. He retrieved his black shirt up from the bench and pulled it over his head. Sakura watched his toned abs disappear inch by inch and was relieved and a bit disappointed at the same time. He noticed _that_ too, and was smirking at her again as he made to leave the room.

As he walked toward her something inside Sakura stirred, something that had been missing ever since that night in the dining room. His arrogance and amusement at her embarrassment were infuriating, and as he reached the doorway she didn't move to let him pass. She blocked his way with her body, just as he'd done in the kitchen the other day. Itachi stopped and stared down at her. She stared back defiantly, waiting for his next move. His freshly-showered scent was beginning to get under her skin, but she concentrated on holding his intense crimson gaze.

They stared at each other for several tense seconds, and her breath caught slightly as Itachi reached slowly and deliberately around her…and deftly twisted the shuriken out of the wall. After another heavy moment he finally, softly said, "Excuse me."

Sakura knew she was probably pushing her limits, but decided to push a little further. Instead of moving back or out of the way, she merely shifted her body sideways and leaned against the doorframe, her gaze never wavering. Itachi's lips twitched as he accepted her challenge and moved forward, his body closing in on hers and making light, brushing contact as he shifted past her and disappeared down the hall.

Once he was gone, Sakura quickly closed the door and locked it. She leaned against it, waiting for her pulse to slow and the nervous flutter in her stomach to go away. What was she thinking, testing him like that? She was already horrified about walking in on him dressing, and that he'd _caught_ her practically drooling over his half-naked body. Now she'd just added even more fuel to the fire of tension between them. She shouldn't have done something so impulsive. What if he decided he wanted to use her as _more_ than a hostage? She shook her head harshly, not wanting to go down that road.

Moving away from the door, she turned on the faucet and sat on the edge of the tub. _Bastard probably used all the hot water. _She glanced at the moisture clinging to the wet shower wall and the unbidden memory of tiny water droplets running over smooth, muscled skin invaded her mind, and she was struck by the thought that Itachi had just been naked in this shower only minutes ago.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Deidara was right; she really was a pervert.

* * *

After lunch and the horribly embarrassing incident in the bathroom, Sakura holed herself up in the small library and tried to distract herself with the few remaining books she hadn't already looked at. After a couple hours Tobi had came looking for her, letting her know that Kisame had gone to get dinner and would be back soon. After several minutes of him pestering her about what she was reading and was it any good and it sure smelled moldy in here, she managed to get rid of him and went back to snooping/reading until one of the older and more dilapidated books fell apart in her hands.

Covered with mildew spores and crumbling bits of paper, she decided it was a good time to get ready for dinner and see if Kisame was back yet. She'd been too caught up in her conversation with Deidara at lunch to really eat her fill, and her stomach was protesting now.

Sakura entered the large kitchen, still picking little specks of paper and mold from her only remaining shirt, and went to the sink to wash her hands. She heard noises coming from the other room and Kisame's gruff booming voice drifted to her ears, meaning dinner was here. She was about to turn the water off when she felt rather than heard someone come into the kitchen behind her.

This time there was no mistaking his presence, and her stomach fluttered nervously. He was the _last_ person she wanted to be alone with, after what happened earlier. He stopped in the doorway, and she could feel him watching her back. Sakura didn't acknowledge him, continued to run her hands under the water. She wasn't going to freak out every time he was around. That was clearly what he wanted, and she was getting tired of his arrogance. After a moment of pretending she hadn't noticed him, his footsteps echoed softly as he slowly walked up behind her. He only made his steps audible because he wanted her to feel the unease of not knowing what he was doing. He was messing with her, trying to intimidate. It was working, but it also made her angry.

Itachi was right behind her; she could feel him and there was no pretending not to notice now. She turned her head over her shoulder to glare at him, and realized he was a lot closer than she'd thought. Close enough to catch his scent again and feel the warmth of his body heat, though no part of him was touching her. The dark glint in his crimson eyes told her he was enjoying her discomfort.

Just when she began to think he was so close for no other reason than to freak her out, he reached up to the cabinet over her head and pulled out a glass. The inside of his arm brushed against her shoulder as he brought it down, and because she was partially turned toward him, his arm rubbed lightly over the upper part of her chest as he moved it around her and held the glass under the running tap. Sakura narrowed her eyes, and tensed when his other arm moved around in front of her to turn off the tap, and then rested casually on the counter next to her hip, effectively blocking her in. Sakura continued to glare as he calmly sipped his water, never breaking eye contact with her.

She knew she had given him extra ammunition to use against her. Itachi was quite aware of her aesthetic approval of him—she couldn't quite bring herself to use the word _attraction_—and he was using it against her.

Sakura was fuming. Itachi was an arrogant asshole, worse than his brother. Just when she was starting to relax around him and not be scared out of her wits all the time, he had to go and find some new way of making it hard to be in the same room with him. Sakura was a living, breathing woman who liked men, and her hatred of him didn't keep her from noticing the fact that Uchiha Itachi was gorgeous. But his physical appeal didn't blind her to the fact that he was also incredibly dangerous. Fear still twisted in the pit of her stomach, along with something else she didn't want to acknowledge. This new tactic of his was low and dirty and completely beneath him—using sexuality as a weapon. He seemed to find it quite amusing, as it was surely a tactic he didn't get to use often, and she hated how well it was working.

Uchiha Itachi really was the master of mindfucks, but she'd be damned if she let him mess with her head like this. Two could play _that_ game.

Itachi was taking his time, and still hadn't moved an inch away from her. He really wasn't trapping her, just imposing and invading, pushing for a reaction. She could flinch or shy away from contact with his body, could run if she wanted to…but then he would win, and Haruno Sakura was never one to give in without a fight.

Rather than sliding away, she turned around inside the parameter of his arms until they were face to face, and looked up into his eyes with a soft smirk. The small of her back pressed against the counter's edge, and from this position she was eye level with his chin. Their torsos were inches apart, his knee touching the side of her leg a little. Amusement was clearly visible in his eyes, along with something darker and almost predatory as each continued to stare in challenge at the other.

Over a minute had passed now. Sakura wondered how such a short time could seem so endless, and why no one had interrupted them yet, considering they were in the next room over. She would lose this little challenge eventually. There was still too much fear mixed in with the thrill.

Just as their proximity and the intensity of holding eye contact was becoming truly uncomfortable, Itachi went even further and leaned in toward her. The distance between them narrowed to nothing as he reached around her again and dumped the remaining contents of the glass down the sink and it on the counter behind her. The fabric of his heavy cloak brushed her chest, though his actual torso never touched hers. His face hovered just above hers, and thankfully the angle gave her a chance to break that mesmerizing eye contact. His hand brushed against her hip briefly as he lowered his arms to his sides again. As he slowly backed up, the smirk was very clear on his handsome features.

Itachi turned around and walked casually out of the kitchen like nothing happened. Sakura took a deep, steadying breath and mentally shook herself out. She didn't want to analyze what just happened. Sitting through dinner with him tonight would certainly be interesting. Determined to sit as far away from Itachi as possible even if it meant sitting next to Tobi and letting him pester her to death, she schooled her expression and walked into the dining room for dinner with Akatsuki.

* * *

Dinner was relatively normal—as normal as a meal with four criminals and their hostage ever could be. Kisame started the conversations, Tobi participated eagerly even if he was a little clueless and annoying, and Deidara joined in when he had something cool or intellectual to say, which was usually the point where Kisame would get lost and have to change the subject. Itachi never said much, if anything at all. He wasn't one to speak just to be sociable, though sometimes he would smirk or say little things in response to the conversation at hand. Sakura never said much either; these were not her friends and she wasn't exactly an invited dinner guest.

But as the days had passed she found herself starting to laugh at their jokes, and with some reserve, had begun to participate in their discussions. Mostly with Deidara, who seemed to have a hard time finding intelligent conversation with his comrades, and seemed almost grateful that she was here to talk to. After nearly a week among them, Sakura was beginning to realize that as individual people these guys were actually tolerable, sometimes even sort of likeable, and it worried her.

Tonight had been no different from other nights, except for the small fact that Itachi hadn't stopped staring at her. He'd watched her throughout the entire meal, burning holes in the side of her head as she pointedly ignored him. If the others noticed they hadn't let on. She ate normally and talked to the other three, never once looked at Itachi, and volunteered to help Kisame clean up afterward so she wouldn't be alone. So she exchanged insults with the shark for a while, and afterward retired to her room.

Now, a few hours later, she found herself restless and unable to sleep. Strange thoughts and feelings about this entire situation were beginning to emerge and take form, most of which she was entirely unprepared to deal with.

Sighing, Sakura got out of bed. Lying there and not falling asleep was useless.

Quietly she went downstairs, intending to make some tea in the hope that it would calm her restless mind. It was sometime around midnight, she guessed, and the rest of the house was silent. However, there was a dim light up ahead. Someone was in the dining room. She intended to pass by and enter the kitchen, but she had been noticed.

"You're up late, kunoichi."

Sakura froze just outside the dining room. _Oh, great._ Cursing herself for getting out of bed, she reluctantly turned and stood in the doorway just enough to be seen. Itachi wasn't one to state the obvious, so he had spoken only to get her attention…to start a conversation with her?

He sat alone at the head of the long table, at an angle in his chair, one knee drawn up to his chest with an elbow resting atop the table. He looked relaxed, almost normal. Just a normal, handsome young man, and not the mass murderer he was known to be. It was such a paradox that for a moment she just stared, before realizing that he was waiting for her to answer.

"Oh, uh…I couldn't sleep. I was going to make some tea," she murmured.

"I've already made some." There was a steaming pot in front of him, alongside a plate of dango. The dango struck her as odd; for some reason she couldn't picture someone like him liking it. Apparently she was wrong. Itachi gestured at the tabletop and looked at her expectantly. "Join me."

Sakura's eyes widened at his invitation. "Uh…"

"I'm not going to hurt you, kunoichi. There's no need to be so wary of me, when you are obviously not so with my comrades. Please." He gestured again.

This was a side of Itachi she never expected, and almost wished she hadn't seen. Even now, as she heard him say he wouldn't hurt her, her mind tacked on an unspoken 'yet.' Still, she reasoned, if he hadn't hurt her yet he probably wasn't going to now. She nodded hesitantly. "Alright. I'll just get another cup."

When she returned she sat adjacent to him. His cloak was open, revealing his dark shirt and pants, and he'd also removed his hitai-ate. The change was striking. When she sat down and looked at him up close she saw that his Sharingan was off, and he was watching her with deep ebony-brown eyes. Their natural color was actually prettier than the crimson, and she found herself staring again.

Itachi took her cup and poured her tea for her. How someone so ruthless and cold could also be so polite and refined was baffling. Sakura murmured her thanks and took a sip. Still bewildered and nervous, she remained silent until he spoke to her.

"Why can't you sleep?"

She looked at him pointedly. "Stress."

"Ah. Are you not finding your stay with us to be comfortable, kunoichi?"

Sakura was tempted to answer with '_duh._' "It's not as bad as I expected, but I'm sure you can understand why I would be stressed, all the same."

"Of course." His voice was calm and quiet. "Though as you've already seen, nothing will happen to you that you do not bring upon yourself. Despite being from enemy factions, we have no issue with you or Konoha in general. I simply have orders and intend to carry them out. Surely you can understand this, as a fellow shinobi."

Sakura glared. "Your 'mission' happens to be killing my best friend. And the missions I undertake are a bit different in nature than yours."

Itachi smiled faintly. "How naïve. Obviously you have seen and done very little in service to your village to still believe such things."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was a Leaf shinobi too, once. You have either been very sheltered, or you are deluding yourself. Think about it one of these nights when you can't sleep and perhaps you will understand." She continued to scowl at him, but he was unaffected. "But I've gotten away from my point. There is no need for this situation to be unnecessarily hostile. Obviously you have a preconceived dislike for me, but I have no more reason to harm you than the others. You don't need to be so afraid of me."

Sakura scoffed. "I was beginning to think you got off on making me afraid of you."

Itachi smirked. "Your reactions amuse me, kunoichi. I think you will find that I'm not the creature of nightmare you have grown up to believe in."

"Somehow I doubt that," she muttered into her teacup.

He was watching her intently again, studying her. She found it ironic. Quite often she was finding herself the unwilling recipient of the older Uchiha's undivided attention—attention she would have begged for from his brother so many years ago. But Itachi was not Sasuke, and the differences were becoming more pronounced the longer she was around him.

"Why do you always watch me like that?" she asked.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"You know it does."

He tilted his head slightly, dark eyes glinting. "You fascinate me."

That surprised her. "I'm sure I'm not _that_ interesting."

"On the contrary, I find you to be quite a paradox."

Sakura frowned slightly. "How so?"

"You are exceptionally intelligent, yet you still possess a naive optimism about the world around you. That naiveté and emotionally biased judgment makes you appear weak…yet you have demonstrated several times that you are not, physically or mentally. You are soft-hearted and emotional, but you are not easily frightened and don't hesitate to defend yourself or your loved ones. In fact, your weaknesses appear to be the _source_ of your strength, and that is intriguing to me. You are quite different from what I expected."

She smiled faintly, but wasn't entirely sure if he was complimenting or insulting her. It was probably a bit of both. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you admitting you were wrong about me, Uchiha?"

Itachi gave a faint, sardonic smile. "You seemed surprised. No one is perfect, kunoichi, not even me."

Sakura was surprised that he would think that way, let alone admit it out loud, but chose not to comment and reached for the teapot. Itachi picked it up before she could get it, and poured for her again. Where had the other Itachi had gone, the one who almost strangled her, and who this was sitting here pouring her tea like a gentleman and having civilized conversation. Perhaps she'd been a bit wrong about him as well, in some ways.

"Thank you," she said as he passed the cup back to her. "So…are you always up this late?"

"I never sleep well," he replied quietly, before drinking.

"Paranoia?" she ventured.

"Among other things," he admitted.

That explained the perpetual dark circles under his eyes. What sorts of things would keep someone like Uchiha Itachi up at night? Perhaps even the cold killer was haunted by something from the past or present. Maybe the massacre of his entire clan and the prolonged torture of the little brother who once adored him didn't sit as easily with him as it seemed.

"Why did you murder your clan?" she asked abruptly.

Itachi looked at her curiously. "My brother never told you?"

"Sasuke has a hard time trusting people, shockingly. Why did you do that to him?" She was having a hard time keeping her voice down now.

"To test my own limits," he said. "I left Sasuke alive because he wasn't worth killing."

Sakura scowled. "And the other helpless children and infants you killed _were_?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, but she needed to know. "I don't believe that was your reason. But even if it _is_ the truth, why couldn't you just let him _live_? It's bad enough that you took everything from him, why did you torment him so that he can never be happy again? Are you really that sadistic?"

"Maybe I am."

His voice was taking on a darker edge now, and she reined her temper in before she pushed too far. She wanted answers, not a broken neck. "Did you care nothing for him? It's clear that he adored you, or he wouldn't be as tormented as he is and he may have been able to move on. I'm not sure he would even have believed it was you if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes."

Itachi's face had returned to a blank mask. "No, he wouldn't have. That's why I waited for him to return and see for himself."

Sakura gaped at him. "He was _six years old_, you bastard!" She pushed her chair back and stood up, gripping the table's edge. "He looked up to you! He _loved_ you!" Itachi's horrifying calmness sparked a shocking theory in her mind. "_That's_ why you left him alive, isn't it? Why you've tortured him all these years…you _want_ him to kill you."

"I don't think my brother will ever be able to kill me."

"That's not an answer."

His eyes glinted dangerously. "You forget your place, kunoichi."

Sakura didn't care. "Sasuke is stronger than you realize, Itachi. That crying six year old was gone the night you left him in the compound with the corpses of his family. He _is _strong enough to kill you. And stop calling me 'kunoichi!' I have a name, damn it! You say you want things to be civil between us, yet you deliberately disrespect me. Didn't your mother teach you any manners before you ran your sword through her heart?"

She snapped her mouth shut, knowing she'd just gone too far. Suddenly he was standing before her; once again he'd moved too fast to see clearly. He bore down on her, driving her to back up against the table's edge. She tried to move away, but his hand came up and pushed against her collarbone, slowly forcing her down until her back pressed into the tabletop. His thumb and forefinger rested lightly against her neck, all the pressure under his palm against her sternum. Not yet a chokehold, but it could easily become one if she struggled.

Itachi leaned over her backward-bent form. His eyes were still dark, but he didn't need the Sharingan to overpower her. She could feel his breath on her face, sweet with tea and dango. She turned her face away from his nearness as he whispered menacingly in her ear.

"You are pushing your limits, girl. I haven't taken everything from my brother, and you don't want me to."

Her eyes widened in fear and she began to squirm underneath him, but he held her still. From the corner of her eye she saw him frown at her reaction.

"You misunderstand my meaning. I would never lower myself to such vulgarity." Bringing his other hand up, he ran two fingers softly over her jaw.

Her breath caught and she flinched at the sensation caused by his gentle touch. It was somehow thrilling, and _that_ frightened her more than he did. He was whispering to her again, his fingers marking a light trail on her cheek.

"I won't hurt you while you are here, but do not forget who I am…Sakura."

His fingers pressed against her chin, turned her head in his direction, and she was so startled by her name on his lips that she complied willingly. His depthless eyes and velvety voice were doing funny things to her. She held his gaze calmly, breathing only slightly increased. "I hope he kills you," she whispered without hostility, her mouth inches from his.

A faint smirk was Itachi's only response. His eyes slowly drifted away from hers and took in the details of her face up close before settling on her mouth, where they remained fixed. Sakura lay deathly still, trying to minimize her breathing while watching him watch her. His eyes darkened as he continued to stare at her slightly parted lips, and her pulse quickened with anticipation as he slowly, unconsciously leaned closer.

Itachi caught himself suddenly and frowned, and when his eyes met hers again they were blood red, searching her face for signs of deception or trickery. His confusion was clear on his face, merging with that other element that had her heart racing. His fingers softly grazed her cheek, his wrist held in her grip from her forgotten attempt to struggle.

He stood up quickly and backed away from her, still frowning. Itachi stared at her with an unreadable look for another moment, and she'd barely lifted herself to her elbows before he turned and swiftly walked out of the room.

Sakura took a deep breath and pushed off the table, leaned against the edge as she collected herself. Itachi's tactic had backfired on him, and he'd been taken off-guard. Sakura was shocked as well. She had been afraid he would hurt her despite his promise…and yet it seemed as though he'd been as caught up in that moment as she was. He had nearly just kissed her, and she had been tempted to let him.

What the hell was happening between them?


	8. Moments in the Dark

**Perception**

Chapter Eight: Moments in the Dark

* * *

Deep within her subconscious, Sakura felt the prickle of her senses warning her of danger, a tiny voice in the back of her mind screaming for her to _wake up!_

She shot up in bed with a start, ready to fight, and was immediately shoved back down. Chakra flowed to her fists as she struggled against the unknown force pinning her. Her knee connected with something solid, and she heard a low pained grunt before a hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her angry protest.

"Sakura! Wake up and calm down, damn it!"

Sakura immediately stilled at the hissed command and focused on the shadowed figure. It was Deidara. He was pushing down on her sternum, pinning her to the bed with his right forearm, which she was currently digging painful bruises into with chakra-laced fingers. His chakra was completely masked—the reason she hadn't sensed his presence until he was right over her. He removed his hand from her mouth once she stopped struggling. It briefly occurred to her that he was far more powerful than he looked if he could hold her down with one arm.

"Deidara…." She released the death-grip on his forearm, and realized her knee had been pushing roughly into his side and jarring his hurt arm, so she relaxed and moved it away. She couldn't see his face in the dark, but she was sure he was feeling the pain.

"Shh. Mask your chakra, yeah."

She did instantly, instinct telling her not to question it.

He silently backed away. "Grab your stuff and come with me. Hurry."

Sakura quickly pulled her boots on, grabbed her backpack and moved silently to Deidara's side. She realized now that it wasn't _his_ presence which triggered her shinobi instincts and woke her. The house was dead silent, but there was an air of calm alertness that told her something was amiss. She looked up at Deidara and whispered, "What's going on?"

Despite his calm outer appearance, he was on-edge. "Hunter nins." He gestured in the direction of the hallway and silently moved out of the room.

Sakura followed and they walked the short distance to the stairs, where Deidara jumped over the banister and landed on the bottom floor with only a slight rustle of his cloak. It was to avoid making the old steps creak, so Sakura followed in the same way, making even less noise as she had no oversized articles of clothing and two hands to brace her landing.

The others were waiting in the foyer with their chakra masked. All had the same aura of tense alertness. Were they going to make a run for it, or stay and fight?

The question was answered when Kisame gruffly whispered, "We'll take care of 'em. Stay alert in case a couple slip past us, and be ready to go when we get back."

Deidara nodded tersely. "Tobi, go conceal yourself outside and keep watch, yeah."

"Okay, Deidara-senpai. I won't let you down." He opened the front door and faded away into the night.

"If we're not back in twenty minutes, leave," Itachi said to Deidara. Then his gaze turned to Sakura, and he regarded her intently for a moment before handing a small bundle to Deidara with a pointed look.

Deidara nodded in response to the silent communication. He grabbed Sakura by the arm, but not harshly, and steered her down the hall of the lower floor. With slightly more caution than their mask-wearing comrade, Itachi and Kisame moved outside and disappeared into the darkness.

Deidara led Sakura silently down the dark hallway, past the study toward the very back of the house. The satchel Itachi gave him was slung over his arm and brushed her elbow as they walked. She heard the clink of metal inside it. He let go of her to open a door at the end of the long hall, then gestured for her to go in before following after and locking the door from the inside.

Sakura looked around in the dark and guessed they were in the master bedroom. She walked to the large bed and pushed on it to test the springs for creaks before sitting down. Deidara stood in the middle of the room, his body tense, alert for the smallest sound or movement.

"Where are they?" she whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

His keen ears _did_ hear, and he silently moved closer. "In the woods a few hundred yards from the house, yeah."

Sakura nodded, watching his profile. He looked irritated, and it was probably less to do with the fact that hunter nins had found them, and more to do with the fact that he had to stay behind and babysit the hostage because of his broken arm. It was clearly hurting again—if it had ever stopped—because she'd jarred it with her knee when he tried to wake her. She could hear the strain in his voice, could see the tension in his body and the way he held his left arm tightly to his side, and even saw a thin sheen of sweat at his temples. Being both the fun-spoiling hostage _and_ the cause of his injury, Sakura began to feel a little bad for him.

He noticed her watching him and wordlessly handed her the satchel.

Sakura took it curiously, hearing the clink of metal on metal again as she opened it. Her eyes widened. Inside were all of her confiscated items. Her shuriken holster and wrappings, all of her kunai, wire, senbon, medical herbs and poisons; everything was there. They were giving her weapons back?

"It's not your toys that make you a threat, it's those fists of yours," he explained. "Besides, I'm not some hero. If any of those hunters get in here you're gonna have to fight for yourself, yeah."

Sakura gave him a wry smile. "Fair enough. Do you think they found this place by chance?"

"I don't know. We can't stay here anymore, though, after this. We never should have stayed here…but it's not my mission," he muttered sourly.

Sakura quietly rearmed herself and continued to steal glances at Deidara, who was either concentrating intently or deep in thought. The part of his hand that could be seen under his long sleeve was trembling slightly. The compassionate part of her was getting harder to ignore, especially since he'd been rather nice to her the past few days, all things considered. He obviously hadn't found a healer with the skill to fix it, and she knew he likely never would.

"Hey," she said quietly, and he glanced in her direction. "I'm sorry…about your arm. Not for breaking it in the first place—you deserved that. But for aggravating it earlier."

He didn't turn, and from this angle she couldn't see his face through the curtain of his hair. "Don't worry about it. It's fine, yeah."

"No, it's not fine. Even if I weren't a medic I could see that." She stood and buckled on her medic's apron, then moved silently to his side. "You've managed well, but I know better. I'm the one who did it, after all."

He shot her a look. "You sure you want to rub it in like that?"

"I didn't mean it that way. Here," she sighed, and reached for his hand.

Deidara started and jerked away slightly. "What are you—"

"Nothing to freak out about. Let me see your hand." She reached for him again.

He didn't pull away, but continued to watch her warily. As gently as she could, Sakura lifted the sleeve of his cloak, frowning at the sight of her own handiwork. It wasn't as swollen as it should have been, and she figured he must know a little medical jutsu, enough to keep it down himself. However, the rest was hideous; dark red and purple splotches all over his hand and wrist from bruising and inflamed nerve endings. It was painful to even look at, and she couldn't imagine how it must feel, or how he could keep from screaming every time he brushed against his own sleeve.

His jaw clenched when she delicately pressed it with her fingers, but he gave no other indication of pain. His eyes widened but he said nothing as her hand began to glow a pale green. She met his gaze reassuringly before pushing her chakra under his skin. Deidara closed his eyes tightly at the intrusion. Her frown deepened as she assessed the damage she'd done. Every one of the carpal bones were fractured, some in more than one place. All thirty five of them, as well as the ulna. If she'd known it was that she might have asked to look at it earlier.

Mind made up, Sakura withdrew her chakra and gently grabbed him by the elbow. "Come on," she whispered, and walked him toward the bed.

Deidara complied almost dumbly, too confused by her actions and in too much pain to protest. She sat on the bed, pulled him down next to her. She held him gently by the wrist and lifted his sleeve again, this time to the elbow. He grimaced, but remained silent. Looking at his exposed forearm, she noticed that in several places there was scarring that looked like burns, or that the skin had been scored off. Gaara had done this with sand, she knew.

Without thinking, she scooted a bit closer and placed his hand on her own thigh for support so she could work with both hands. He watched her hands begin to glow again, and immediately emitted a relieved sigh as her healing chakra soothed nerves and numbed the pain.

"Isn't this going against masking our chakra? Why are you—?"

"Hey, if those hunter nins find us it won't just be because of this. And if they do I'm not going to save your ass, you're gonna have to fight for yourself."

He laughed quietly before closing his eyes, enjoying the soothing feel of cool healing chakra. They were silent for a while, before Deidara hesitantly said, "Uh…sorry about earlier." She looked at him, confused. "For you know…that." He held up his other hand. "I just didn't want you to yell out, yeah."

Sakura's brows shot up in understanding: by clamping his hand over her mouth to keep her silent, the mouth in his hand had come in contact with her lips in a warped sort of kiss. She hadn't thought anything of it at the time, and found that it didn't creep her out at all. She shook her head. "I know. Don't worry about it."

Minutes of silence ticked past as she mended each fracture. The bones of the hand and wrist were very small and the process of restoring and resetting them was intricate. Deidara appeared to be deep in thought again, staring at the bedcovers.

"I hate this place," he muttered softly.

Surprised by the personal statement, she leaned a little closer to get a better look at his averted face. "What happened here, Deidara?" she asked gently.

He turned and regarded her a long moment, debating. He opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. He made an amused sound and raised his eyes to the ceiling like he couldn't believe he was actually going to tell her, and then he quietly began to talk.

"I was born in this house. I grew up here with my parents and my older brother. It was pretty normal I guess. We even had a dog. We grew crops and sold them at the market a few miles from here, and my mother made sculptures and sold them too. She was the one with the bloodline limit, though I had no idea what that was back then. My brother and I had it too, and she taught us how to make the clay and mold it. We didn't think anything was different about us because we kept to ourselves and I didn't really know anyone else. I guess we were pretty happy, yeah."

He paused a moment, watching her work. "One night when I was seven, I was woken up by the dog. He was barking like crazy…and then he yelped and went silent. I got up to go see what happened, but my mom ran into my room and told me to hide. She was scared, and told me not come out no matter what I heard. So I hid. And I _did_ hear things; shouting, crashing…but I stayed hidden and waited for someone to call for me or find me. But no one ever did. I don't know how long I hid… hours I guess. After a while I couldn't take it anymore and came out. I was scared and I wanted to find my parents and brother. When I found them, they were all dead."

Sakura gasped. Deidara still wouldn't look at her.

"There was blood everywhere. It trailed down the hallway, so I followed it into my brother's room, and that's where I found my family. They'd been dragged in there from where they were killed and laid in a row on the floor." His frown deepened as the moment replayed in his mind. "My mother and brother's hands had been cut off…it was…" He trailed off and shook his head as if to rid himself of the images forever burned into his memory.

Sakura paused, and her fingers curled around his forearm. "Deidara…I'm so sorry," she whispered. Her heart broke for the boy he had been.

Deidara shook his head. "Don't…" he said flatly, not knowing how to respond to her compassion. He sighed heavily, and though he'd already answered her original question, he decided to continue his tale once he felt her chakra in his arm again. "I was so shocked I just sat on the floor in that room. I don't know how long it was before they found me."

"Who?"

"ANBU. Though I didn't know what they were, and when I saw their masks I was scared and tried to fight them. Then the captain came and talked to me." His eyes narrowed. "He said they heard some rogue ninja were in the area and came to investigate. He said that's who had killed my family. He said…" His lip curled in a snarl and his other hand fisted into the bedcover. "He said he was _sorry_ they didn't catch them in time. He told me that I was safe now, and that he would take me back to his village."

"And that's how you became a shinobi?" Sakura asked gently.

He nodded. "They took me back to Iwa and gave me to people with the same bloodline limit. They said they were my mother's family and they would take care of me from now on. I was immediately put into the academy. Nobody asked me if I wanted to become a ninja. It was just decided for me. I grew up like that in Iwa, and because of the war with Suna, eventually I was one of the few left in my clan. That's when things started to get…unpleasant. The Tsuchikage wanted me and the others to have a bunch of babies as soon as possible to restore the clan. He didn't even want me to get married, he just wanted me to basically screw everything that walked and build myself a harem or something."

Sakura snorted softly, and he smirked at her. "I know. Most guys wouldn't complain, but I didn't want to be used like some fucking stud pony. I don't even want kids. And I was only thirteen then. He said it was my duty, but I still fought him on it. On top of that he told me I had to limit how I used my art, that I couldn't just blow things up whenever I felt like it. Tch. Like he even knows what art is. That old bastard didn't like my ability, yet he wanted a bunch of people with the same jutsu under his control? It didn't make sense, so one day I got ahold of my classified ANBU file to find some answers."

"You were ANBU? At that age?"

He raised his sleeve higher to show her the faded tattoo on his shoulder. "Mm. But that's not important. What matters is what I read there." His expression darkened again. "It wasn't exactly what I'd been looking for, but I finally leaned the truth. My mother had been an Iwa kunoichi. When she fell in love with my dad, a civilian, the clan freaked out and forbade her from marrying him. She was pregnant with my older brother, and the elders said if she didn't leave my dad they would take the baby when it was born and cast her out of the clan. So they ran away together. No one knew where they were for ten years, and then one of the clan members saw her selling sculptures at the market."

Sakura gasped. "They…oh…."

Deidara confirmed her suspicion with a nod. "The file said my mother had stolen important scrolls containing secret doton jutsu."

Sakura's heart skipped. She was pretty sure those scrolls were currently sitting in her backpack not a foot away. She schooled her expression as he continued.

"The Tsuchikage gave the order for them to be retrieved, and for my family to be eliminated. It was the ANBU that found me who killed them. They figured I was young enough to merge back into the clan. The ANBU captain was my uncle. I never knew."

Sakura was scowling right along with him. "That's horrible. It's just…so fucked up. What did you do when you found out?"

He smiled sadistically. "I blew up the Tsuchikage's tower with him in it. Then I left."

Sakura wasn't surprised. "Did he die?"

"Unfortunately not."

"So that's how you became a missing nin. I guess…I can't really blame you for leaving, or for your reaction. What did you do after?"

He shrugged. "I perfected my art, found people who were willing to pay me to for it. It paid well, and I was allowed to practice my art freely, so I was pretty happy."

Every time he said 'art' she had mental images of entire cities burning to the ground. She supposed he had a good reason, but he was a little insane. So were half of her friends, she mused, and mentally shrugged. "What made you join Akatsuki?"

"I didn't have a choice, yeah. I'm sure you've noticed that Akatsuki seeks out shinobi with bloodline limits or unusual jutsu. Leader heard about my art and sent Sasori, Itachi and Kisame to recruit me. I didn't want to be part of another establishment, but Itachi made a deal with me that I would only have to join if he beat me in a fight. So I agreed, which was stupid now that I think back on it. It was those damn eyes of his, yeah. I'd never seen a Sharingan before, and he caught me in a genjutsu the second I first made eye contact with him, before we even spoke. I almost blew myself up because of his tricks. I knew they wouldn't leave me alone, and they said I could create my art freely and I would have a wider range of opportunity to do it, so I joined."

Sakura wasn't sure what to make of the fact that he'd basically been forced into joining Akatsuki, what it might mean in the bigger picture. She tucked it away for later pondering. They fell quiet again, the steady green glow of chakra flowing between them. After a while she looked up at him curiously. "Why did you tell me?"

He met her gaze, but didn't answer immediately. "I don't know. I may still decide to kill you for it later."

She laughed wryly. "I'm good at keeping secrets."

Deidara sighed tiredly. "I have a lot of reasons to hate you, yeah. You killed Sasori, and because of that I was stuck with that idiot Tobi. And, obviously, the way you mangled my arm... But for some reason I don't feel like blowing you up. I think in a way you remind me of myself, of how I might have been if things hadn't turned out so fucked up for me. I think that's probably why I told you, yeah."

Sakura smiled. "Yeah...I think I feel the same. I mean, you did kill Gaara, even though he came back. You're also a total asshole—on purpose. But we do seem to have a lot of similarities. I think I may even have a worse temper than you. If I'd been through what you have, then maybe… I don't think I would be blowing things up with clay, though."

He smirked. "No, you'd be blowing people up from the inside with chakra, yeah."

Sakura smacked him lightly on the arm. It disturbed her to realize how much of what she'd said was actually true. Deidara blinked in surprise when her playful blow didn't hurt. She sighed tiredly. "All done. Let me see the other arm." She grabbed it without waiting for a reply and quickly healed the dark bruises she'd put there during their brief struggle.

Deidara gave her a small, quiet smile. "Thanks."

She had a feeling he meant for more than just his arm. "No problem." She grabbed his arm again, turned it in her hands and bent the wrist and fingers, making sure they were all working properly. Then she noticed his palm; two of the teeth in the mouth had been knocked out. "Uh…I don't know if I can fix this…"

He stared at it with the trademark frown-pout, and flatly said, "You can't." She looked like a kicked puppy then, and he sighed. "Forget it, yeah. It's not the end of the world."

Sakura let go, and he began to flex and rotate his hand for the first time in a week. After a moment she gave him a devious smile. "I guess now you'll always have something to remember me by."

Deidara stopped, his expression clouded, and watched her for a long moment. Finally, he smirked. "I guess so, yeah. Maybe I'll have to give you a similar memento."

Sakura grinned. "Are you flirting with me again?"

"You wish, yeah."

"Hah!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't start that with _me_. You'll definitely lose, especially since I can use both hands now."

"Pervert."

Deidara simply smirked and returned to testing his fixed arm.

"How long has it been?"

"Almost half an hour, yeah."

"Do you think they ran into any trouble?"

Deidara snorted. "I doubt it."

"What happens if they don't come back in the next few minutes? We leave?"

"Yeah. We'll grab Tobi and head for the next base. The others will meet up with us when they kill or lose the hunters. It's happened before."

She pondered that for a moment. "What happens if they don't show up? I mean, say for a moment they _are_ killed or captured, however unlikely. What will happen then? You said this isn't your mission, so there would be no point in holding me hostage anymore..."

He gave her an amused look. "Sorry, hellcat. I don't think you'll get that lucky."

Sakura frowned, and was about to ask about the hellcat thing when she felt rather than heard something outside the room. He felt it too, and immediately tensed and stood up, reaching for a kunai. She silently reached for her own weapons. They stood together in the center of the room, waiting tensely.

Deidara relaxed suddenly and straightened. A moment later she felt the chakra from the other three Akatsuki. Sakura quickly grabbed her backpack and followed Deidara down the hall to meet the others. As they entered the foyer again, her nose was immediately hit with the strong smell of smoke, dirt, and underneath it, blood. None of them appeared to be injured, so it wasn't their blood she smelled.

Itachi looked at her, his eyes traveling down to her apron and leg holster before returning to her face. She read nothing in his expression, so different than what she'd seen only a few hours ago when he'd almost kissed her. She mentally shook herself; now wasn't the time to think about that. He looked away and addressed the others. "Five minutes," was all he said, and all four of them took off for different parts of the house to grab their gear, leaving Sakura alone in the dark entryway.

Sakura used the opportunity to pull out her traveling cloak. It was the coldest part of the night, in the wee hours before dawn, and they were much farther north than her native climate. The Akatsuki returned in no time, and then the five of them sped across the fields for the nearby forest. They halted when they reached the cover of the trees. The forest was still eerily quiet; the creatures that had gone silent at the sounds of battle had not yet come out of hiding. Sakura caught something strange in the corner of her eye, and stopped dead in her tracks to stare in morbid fascination at the corpse of one of the hunter nins a few yards away, completely decapitated with a dark pool of blood staining the ground beneath him.

She turned away, looking back in the direction of the farmhouse as Deidara walked up and stopped next to her. He gazed at the house in the distance, and her eyes widened as she watched him make a quick hand seal and mutter "_katsu!_" before the building exploded in an enormous ball of flame.

Deidara watched his childhood home burn with a look of dark satisfaction. He'd left a fitting parting gift for his bad memories. Sakura observed the inferno with her mouth agape, before turning her eyes to the architect of this tragically beautiful moment of art. He met her gaze, and they shared a moment of silent understanding. He would say it was to destroy evidence and make sure no one ever used this place again. She was the only one who would ever know the real reason, and she gave him a grim smile.

They turned away to find Itachi staring darkly at Deidara. Kisame and Tobi were behind him. That explosion was sure to alert any ANBU or hunter nins to this place in no time. Deidara returned Itachi's glare with a look that said it was his house and he had every right to do what he did. The two Akatsuki stared each other down for a long moment, before Itachi turned away and leapt into the trees. Kisame, Tobi and Sakura followed. Deidara cast one last look at the burning ruins of his past before leaping after his companions, and the five of them sped away into the night.

* * *

Sakura didn't think she'd ever run so hard in her entire life. They practically flew through the trees, feet barely landing on branches before pushing off again, and each leap seemed to stretch forever. She was amazed by their speed and even more amazed with herself for keeping up with them. She wouldn't be able to for much longer, though. She'd used quite a bit of chakra to heal Deidara, and was draining more every minute. But she'd be damned if she complained or showed weakness. She was a jounin, apprentice to the Hokage, a member of one of the top teams in Konoha. She would just have to suck it up.

It was nearing dawn. They'd traveled for hours, never staying in the same direction, zigzagging, circling around and cross-cutting. It seemed like a waste of time and energy, but she knew this was how they operated, and why they almost never got found. They were being extra careful this time because of the attention Deidara's little 'work of art' was sure to attract. ANBU must be all over that farm by now. They would find the bodies of the hunter squad in the woods and if Stone nins operated like Leaf, there would be a massive search. Sakura wondered how they planned to leave a trail for her teammates to find and still make sure none of the ANBU picked it up too.

Exhaustion was setting in, but she refused to acknowledge it. She _would not_ look weak in front of her captors, not when they were just beginning to respect her. There was a good reason for their haste. If they were caught, Sakura would be no safer than the Akatsuki, as Stone nins were notoriously hostile to outsiders. She didn't want to be found by them any more than the others.

They'd been forced to leave the farm ahead of schedule, so they waited in a small clearing and sent Tobi to find out if their intended destination was safe. The masked ninja had apparently learned some spying and reconnaissance techniques during his time as Zetsu's lackey and could travel underground at rapid speeds. No one spoke as they waited, and Sakura took the opportunity to rest without looking like she was resting.

Tobi returned some time later, popping out of the ground like a jack-in-the-box and informing them that their intended hideout was in fact _not _clear. There were ANBU swarming all over it; scouring the countryside because of the explosion and the dead hunters. They would have to keep moving and find another place to stay. That information had elicited a string of curses and finger pointing from Kisame, mostly aimed at a very unrepentant Deidara, who matter-of-factly told the shark nin where he could shove his opinion.

They moved out again, running at the same rapid speed in a generally northwestern direction. They still made sure to conceal their trail, but the need to find cover before daylight placed speed above caution. Sakura was nearly out of energy and it was becoming increasingly difficult to land securely on the branches. She was starting to lag behind slightly, though if anyone noticed they didn't give any indication.

A few miles later, Sakura's body finally decided to rebel against her determination. Her foot landed unsteadily on the branch below her, and she couldn't channel chakra fast enough to avoid slipping. She didn't fall, but she stumbled and had to stop completely to regain her footing and not crash headfirst to the ground. Someone landed on the branch next to her, and though their landing was soft and sure-footed, she still hadn't completely regained her balance and had to throw her arms out to steady herself. A pair of strong hands grabbed her waist from behind, bracing her. She looked over her shoulder to find Itachi giving her a discerning look. She hadn't realized he was behind her; he must have swung back around to mask their trail. The others noticed and stopped as well.

Without moving his hands or waiting for her to speak, Itachi simply lifted her by the waist and dropped to the forest floor with her. Sakura huffed in surprise and grasped his wrists in an almost-attempt to remove him as they landed much more quietly than she would have expected. She glared at him over her shoulder, and was about to ask what the hell he thought he was doing, when the other Akatsuki dropped down from their respective trees to join them. Sakura could feel Itachi's body heat radiating into her back, and he still hadn't removed his hands from her waist. The others were right there, and she was becoming uncomfortable in more ways than one. He may or may not have agreed, but he moved away all the same and stood across from her.

"Is there a problem, Sakura?"

"No. I'm fine," she said petulantly.

Kisame scoffed. "No you're not. We can all see you're exhausted."

"I said I'm fine. Shouldn't we keep moving?"

Deidara spoke up. "We should stop in the next town, yeah. We need to find cover before daybreak anyway."

Itachi glanced at him for a second, then moved closer to Sakura and visually assessed her condition. "You are a jounin. You shouldn't have this much trouble keeping up with us."

Sakura scowled at the Uchiha, and was about to retort hotly when Deidara stepped in again. "It's because she's low on chakra, yeah."

The others looked at Deidara, then back at her. Itachi inspected her again, his eyes moving over her like he could see her chakra through her skin. "Why?"

Kisame made an amused noise that sounded almost like a giggle. "Yeah, Deidara. What did you do to her while we were gone, eh?"

Deidara shot him a baleful glare. "Nothing, you fucking sicko. She healed my arm."

Kisame's eyes widened. "She did?"

"I just said so."

"Why did she do that, Deidara-senpai?" Tobi chimed in.

"Hey! I'm _right here_, goddamn it. Why don't you try asking me?" Sakura snapped.

Itachi hadn't taken his eyes off of her during the entire argument. "Why, then?"

The others turned to look at her as well. Deidara eyed her sharply. Sakura sighed irritably. "It's like I told him; if any of those hunter nin had gotten into the house, I wasn't about to fight for both of us." The rest of them didn't need to know what had gone on in that room. He had discreetly tried to help her by suggesting they stop in a town. She wouldn't reveal his secrets to the others.

Tobi chuckled. "That would be funny, seeing Sakura-san do all the work while Deidara-senpai just stood there like a lame horse."

Deidara turned toward his partner with eyes blazing, and the next moment Tobi went flying ass-over-end into the nearest tree. He stalked toward the slumped ninja ready to make good use of his newly restored fist. "Sounds exactly like what _you_ do every fucking mission we go on, Tobi!"

Tobi jumped up and backed away from his enraged partner with his hands raised. What came out of his mouth was completely the opposite of his body language however. "What? Do all the work while you—OW!" He was cut off by another whack from Deidara.

"I'm surprised Zetsu never _ate_ your stupid ass! When are you gonna fucking _learn_, huh?"

Tobi ran around the small area, Deidara stalking after determinedly. "Sorry, Deidara-senpai! OW! Don't hurt me! Tobi is a good boy!"

"You say that every time, but you keep doing stupid shit, yeah! You can't be _that_ retarded."

Sakura almost laughed at them. Tobi was as bad as Naruto, quite possibly worse. Was this what it looked like when she chased him through the streets of Konoha?

"Enough," Itachi said in a quiet but inarguable tone.

The partners stopped, though Deidara gave Tobi one last punch to the head for good measure. Tobi made sure to stay several feet away from his partner and rubbed his skull. "Are we going to find an inn, Itachi-san?"

Itachi didn't respond to the question. Instead he turned to his own partner. "Kisame, carry her," he said, not once looking at the kunoichi.

The shark nin scoffed. "Why me? Why don't _you_ carry her?"

Sakura had had enough. "No!" she growled indignantly. "Absolutely _not_! I will run by myself." Her defiant outburst surprised the others, but Itachi just looked at her. "I'll be fine if I can rest soon and regain some of my chakra. I won't fall behind, I promise. I don't need to be carried like a damn child."

Itachi regarded her a long moment, and she held his gaze, tired but determined. "Fine," he said, turning away. "We will stop in the next town." He jumped back into the tree.

Sakura smiled wearily at the small victory, and followed after the Uchiha.

#

A few miles later they reached the edge of a small town and slowed to a walk in order to avoid suspicion. As if five cloaked figures materializing out of the fog in the dim, pre-dawn light could ever look inconspicuous. Fortunately there was no one around to see them at this hour.

The town was poor and run down, and they headed for the seediest area they could find. Sakura knew they were seeking out the kind of establishment accustomed to receiving clientele of their sort: lowlifes, criminals, fugitives. Businesses that catered to the underbelly of society never asked many questions, keeping their mouths shut and their purses open. It didn't take long to locate just the sort of place they needed; a shabby little inn tucked into a back alley, that barely looked like an inn from the street. It was too small to have many rooms, meaning there would be fewer guests, which was perfect. They entered the dingy establishment and stood in the dim lobby. If it could be called a lobby, since it was so small the five of them barely fit and personal space was invaded all around. The Akatsuki formed something of a barrier around their captive, their larger forms and bulky cloaks shielding her from any prying eyes and preventing a possible escape attempt at the same time.

The innkeeper appeared from the door behind the counter to greet them somewhat irritably. He was a short, scrawny little man with a graying greasy comb-over that failed miserably to hide his baldness, and he fixed the dangerous looking group with beady dark eyes and cleared his throat before addressing them. "How can I help you?"

"We require rooms," Itachi answered.

The sleazy innkeeper looked at the Uchiha and clearly saw something there that made him uncomfortable. "Ah, of course. Unfortunately, I don't think I can accommodate all of you."

Itachi just stared at him.

He cleared his throat again nervously. "Well you see, there are…" He tried to peer over Itachi and Deidara to get a look at the pink head just barely visible in the center of their cluster. The two men shifted to block his view. The innkeeper lowered his head timidly. "Uh, five of you. Unfortunately, I only have two rooms available."

"That doesn't matter," Itachi said coolly. "We will take the rooms."

"Of course, sir." The little man shuffled around behind the desk for the registrar and room keys. As he gathered what he needed for business, he tried to peek over their shoulders again at Sakura. "Your name for the logbook, sir?"

"I trust you are a professional man who respects the privacy of his clients." Itachi's tone was calm and business-like, but the underlying threat was quite clear.

The innkeeper shrank back. "Yes, sir. Discretion is how we operate here. Your business is your business, of course," he said nervously, and put the unsigned logbook back under the counter.

Itachi placed some bills on the counter, much more than was needed, but such was the cost of privacy and discretion.

The shifty-eyed man snatched up the money and exchanged it for two room keys. "Rooms nine and ten, up the stairs and to the back. Enjoy your stay."

Itachi grabbed the keys from the counter and walked away. Kisame sneered, showing the innkeeper a flash of pointed teeth before following his partner. Deidara's glare lingered on the already intimidated man as he turned to follow. He placed his hand flatly on Sakura's back, firmly and quickly guiding her away. The innkeeper's beady eyes watched them suspiciously as they left.

They passed beneath the noren curtain on the door and into the inn's common room. It looked to be nothing more than a seedy bar with a staircase leading to the dark upper floor. They barely spared a second glance at the large empty room and headed up the stairs.

Sakura was practically asleep on her feet. Deidara's hand pushing her forward was all that kept her going. This place was a hovel, but she didn't care where she was at the moment as long as she could sleep in a corner of the floor somewhere. Fortunately it wasn't _that_ much of a dive. They walked to the end of the hall as the innkeeper had directed and stopped. Their rooms were the last two in the back of the building, the hallway veering off in a T that led to the upstairs washrooms.

Kisame cracked his neck loudly. "So…how are going to do this?"

"I don't really care, yeah."

The shark smirked. "Well if we leave you alone with Tobi he'll probably be dead when we wake up."

Deidara merely shrugged. It was always a possibility.

Itachi handed one of the keys to Kisame. "You three take one of the rooms. I will stay with her."

Sakura snapped out of her exhausted stupor. Say what? She would prefer to stay with Deidara, who she felt most comfortable with. She would even prefer sharing a room with Tobi over Itachi. But she knew any opinion she gave on the subject would raise too many questions and would probably be ignored anyway.

Kisame looked at his partner strangely. "Why are _you_ volunteering?"

Itachi looked at him blankly, but his voice held a hint of impatience. "Because I'm the one most capable of watching her, Kisame. And perhaps I want to get away from your snoring."

Deidara sighed irritably. "Whatever. Can we just decide already?"

Kisame shrugged indifferently and turned to open the door and go inside. Tobi followed him, waving goodnight in the doorway. Deidara shoved him into the room, casting an appraising and almost wary look at the remaining two before going in and closing the door.

Itachi opened the other door and went inside, leaving it open for Sakura. When she entered he closed it and slid the lock into place. There was no window, so it was pitch black. Itachi turned on the light, but how he found it in the dark was a mystery to her. The room was small and sparsely furnished with a nightstand and single armchair. It was shabby and obviously not cleaned often, but that wasn't the biggest concern for Sakura.

There was only one bed.

She sighed and removed her pack, tossing it into the corner wearily, and stood at the foot of the bed, uncertain about what to do next.

Itachi set his own pack down and took off his cloak and sword. He walked over and stood next to Sakura with a small smirk playing on his features. "Relax, Sakura."

She looked from the bed to him. His close proximity was not helping to ease her mind. "How is this going to work?" she asked warily.

He raised a brow minutely. "Are you really that uncomfortable? Would you prefer to sleep on the floor?" He almost sounded like he was teasing her.

She wanted to say _yes_, but the bed looked infinitely better. She was an adult and she could act like one, no matter how weird the situation was. It wasn't the first time she'd had to share a bed with a man, though it had always been one of her teammates and not an unpredictable sociopath. "No, it's fine. I can deal with it if you can." She would just…hug the edge of the bed or something.

She unbuttoned her traveling cloak and removed it stiffly, still on edge. Itachi took it from her hand as she was about to toss it over with her pack and leaned a little closer.

"Relax, and go to sleep," he said softly. He moved away and draped her cloak over his on the back of the armchair before sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest.

Sakura sat on the bed and removed her boots doggedly before crawling under the covers. She lay there with the blanket pulled up to her chin, occasionally stealing glances at the occupant of the chair. His head was bent and his eyes were closed, and she could see under the curtain of his dark hair that his brows were drawn in what looked to be a pained frown. Had he used the Mangekyou tonight against those hunter-nins? She figured he had, and was now paying the price. "Your eyes…they're hurting?" she asked quietly.

His eyes snapped open at her words and he glared almost balefully at her. "I am accustomed to it."

"You know, it wouldn't be so bad if you didn't use the Sharingan when you don't need to."

"It's none of your concern, Sakura. You should sleep and regain your strength." He closed his eyes again.

Itachi was right; it wasn't her concern, and so she dropped it. No point in giving advice to someone who was just going to do what he wanted anyway. She glanced at him one more time before reaching over and pulling the chain on the bedside lamp. The room fell into total darkness. Her head hit the pillow in an exhausted flop, her tired mind no longer caring about the room's other occupant or where he slept as long as she could rest.


	9. A Question of Lust

**Perception**

Chapter Nine: A Question of Lust

* * *

Itachi was gone when Sakura woke, the other side of the bed apparently untouched. She remembered his eye pain, and guessed he probably hadn't slept at all despite hours of hard travel. Was it really only last night that they talked over tea and he'd almost kissed her? So much had happened since then it felt like weeks ago.

The only light came from the crack under the door, so it was impossible to tell what time it was. She wondered why they had left her alone in here, and figured someone was lurking around nearby to keep an eye on her. Still exhausted from the previous night, she yawned and drifted back to sleep.

It seemed only moments before she was woken by the soft click of the door opening. She turned her head toward the dim light coming from the hallway and saw Kisame's looming bulk outlined in the doorway.

"Oy! You awake?" he barked.

Sakura sat up grumpily. "I am now, thanks to your bellowing."

Kisame grunted. "You sound like Itachi. Get used to it, princess; I ain't the delicate type."

She rolled her eyes and reached for the bedside lamp. "Never would have guessed. Do you want something?"

"_I_ don't want anything, but I'm sure _you_ want this." He stopped at the foot of the bed and dropped a paper bag on the mattress.

Lower half still under the shabby covers, she leaned forward and grabbed the bag. Rolling it open, she saw several containers of another takeout meal. "This isn't from _here_ is it?"

Kisame chuckled. "Don't worry, it's from another part of town."

She removed the containers to her lap. "What time is it?"

"Sometime after two."

Sakura couldn't believe she'd slept so late, but then she hadn't gone to be until dawn. She looked at her food thoughtfully. "So does this mean I'm not allowed to leave the room?"

"You can leave the room, just don't go downstairs."

"Why not? I already told you I'm not going to run away."

"Yeah, but you're still our hostage, and this isn't one of our safehouses. Someone might recognize you and then things would get ugly around here."

"Yeah, I'm sure that'd be a real disappointment for you. Anyway, I thought you guys wanted to be found?"

"By the Kyuubi brat, yes. Not by the hunter nins from last night, and not by some Leaf ally who knows you're missing."

"I don't think any Leaf or Sand ninja would be this far into Stone territory. They're not exactly friendly to us."

He shrugged. "We don't take chances like that, princess. Besides, this is a rough town even in the nicer areas and you're deceptively cute and innocent looking. You'd just get yourself into all kinds of trouble and we'd have to come and get you before you wound up destroying half the town."

"How chivalrous. I could always play the part of the damsel in distress so you'd have an excuse to pick a fight," she teased.

He grinned wickedly. "Maybe we'll try that sometime, once were out of Earth country. But then again, it would look like I was coming to your rescue like a gentleman, and that would ruin my reputation."

"Well, we can't have that, now can we?"

He turned to leave. "Eat up, wander to the other room if you want…someone will be around to keep an eye on you so don't get any ideas. And don't go downstairs."

"Yeah, yeah." She began to eat as Kisame left and closed the door.

Afterward, Sakura locked herself in one of the upstairs washrooms to clean up and wash her only change of clothes. If only she was allowed to leave the inn maybe she could buy some new ones. But she wasn't, and she didn't think asking one of the Akatsuki to go out and shop for her would go over well. When her clothes were dry, she debated whether or not to go into the room across from hers, but decided against it. She wouldn't know what to do once she got there anyway. In the end, she stayed in her room the entire day. To pass the time, she sat on the bed with her weapons spread out before her and gave them a good sharpening and maintenance.

Konoha would know about her kidnapping by now. Probably her team was scouring the countryside of Grass right this minute. Perhaps they'd followed the trail to Earth country already. Maybe they'd found the farmhouse. Her captors had been forced to cover their tracks after Deidara's stunt at the farm, and she was simultaneously worried and relieved that her pursuing teammates would lose the trail for several days. If only she had a way to let them know she was unharmed and—for the moment—safe.

Sakura's heart wrenched with a strange sort of guilt. What would they think if they knew that right now she was sitting here unguarded, in possession of all her weapons and chakra, not even contemplating a way to escape?

But Sakura had a perfectly calculated and legitimate reason for staying put. If she managed to get away—which she almost certainly wouldn't—she wouldn't be able to backtrack and find her team, but they would eventually find the Akatsuki. If she was alone in the wilderness of an enemy country when the two sides met up, she would be unable to help anyone. She would be unable to heal their wounds, unable to fight beside them, unable to protect Naruto from Itachi. She was doing this—playing the part of nonresistance—for them. If she became hostile with her captors or tried to escape, they would be forced to restrain her and drain her chakra, making it just as impossible to be of any help when her friends arrived. As it stood now, Sakura was at full strength and ready to do what was necessary to keep the people she loved alive, _and_ she had a rare opportunity to recon her enemies in the subtlest way. There was nothing to feel guilty about, right?

At some point in the afternoon she fell asleep, and woke later with the sense that hours had passed. She lay there, back to the door, carefully thinking over ways she could improve her situation or just do something useful instead of being a helpless bystander, when the door opened and she recognized the soft footsteps and quietly powerful presence of Itachi.

She rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. He regarded her with indifference and said nothing, just quietly closed the door.

"Is it nighttime?" she asked, brushing her sleep-mussed hair out of her face.

"Yes," he answered, shifting an arm out of his wide sleeve. "Have you fully recovered?"

Sakura watched him as he slowly popped the clasps on his cloak. "Yes."

He removed the cloak gracefully, followed by his ninjato. Sakura sat up and folded her legs under her, openly following his movements. He set the sword against the armchair and turned to her. "Deidara has gone for dinner. When he returns, someone will let you know." He retrieved his cloak and turned back to the door.

"Itachi…" She spoke carefully and deliberately, determined to go through with what she'd decided during her hours of solitude. "I've been thinking. If you if you want me to…I will heal your eyes."

He'd gotten one arm into his cloak and stopped abruptly. His brow furrowed and his crimson eyes seemed to pierce right through her. "Why would you offer this?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Because I care about Sasuke, and this is the only thing I can do for him right now."

He slid his other arm into his cloak. "You would willingly make it harder for him to defeat me? I fail to see how that would help him."

She sighed softly. "Because I know him. He could never be satisfied with his revenge if he only achieved it because you were weakened. He needs to know he beat you truly and completely, or he will never move on. I'm the only one that can give him that satisfaction. It sounds strange, believe me I know."

"How do you know he's even aware of my condition?"

"He has a Sharingan too. He's figured it out, I'm certain of it."

Itachi studied her closely for any sign of deception. "You are aware that doing such a thing would be an act of treason to Konoha."

"I know." Her expression was resolute. "But who will tell them?"

His brow quirked. "You would betray your village for my brother, who has never shown you the same loyalty?"

Something hard and determined flashed in her eyes. "Yes. I would. I would do it for any of the people I love."

Itachi contemplated her offer, and the meaning behind it. He stared at her intently for what seemed like forever, before his expression shifted to something not blank but still entirely unreadable. "I accept."

The weight of his decision settled over them both. Sakura breathed deeply and nodded. "I'll need some time to prepare and work out the details. We can start later tonight if you want."

Itachi pulled his cloak further over his shoulders, but left it open. "After dinner, then," he agreed, and left the room as quietly as he'd entered.

Sakura had debated the ramifications of her offer earlier in the day, but she still felt the weight of her decision like an invisible hand. Now that she'd spoken the words aloud, the deal was sealed and there would be no going back. She didn't feel regret or guilt, but she knew that in these last few minutes something had changed within her. Perhaps she had lost some of that naïve optimism.

With a sigh, she lay back on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

#

Tobi came to fetch her not long after Itachi left, and she went with him to join the others in the room across the hall. This room had two beds, she noted.

Sakura was unusually quiet during dinner. Itachi wasn't there, which she was mildly thankful for. She tried not to think about him. The deal they had made would have a huge impact on them both. Sakura would be committing an act of treason, something she would never have thought herself capable of. Itachi would have to _trust_ another person with something very precious to him. Perhaps the _only_ thing precious to him.

She sat silently next to Deidara on one of the beds, not really listening to the conversation, instead reflecting back on the choices she'd made over the last few days. She had already betrayed her village by healing Deidara's arm, and by not trying to escape. What was one more transgression added to the list? No one would know, and it wasn't hurting anyone. Deidara was perfectly capable of blowing things up with one arm, just as Itachi was no less dangerous when half blind, so what did it really matter?

It worried her that she could justify her actions like that, but there was no point in lying to herself. She did indeed think that way.

Her true loyalty lay with the people she loved, and until now that had always gone hand in hand with the interests of her village. The cracks first began to appear in that mindset when Sasuke left. She'd wanted to join him in the dark life of a missing-nin, however naïve she'd been about the consequences at the time. Now she felt like the line between right and wrong was beginning to blur. She really would do anything for her friends, and she was beginning to understand how people could justify certain actions in the name of love and friendship.

She thought of Haku for the first time in a long while. What happened on her first mission so many years ago had left a lasting impact on her and her teammates. There was a lesson to be learned there, that she was only now beginning to understand. Haku had been a good person. He was an enemy, but he'd had reasons for his actions that he'd believed in with all his heart, actions that came from a place of love. Because of that, Sakura hadn't been able to hate him. In fact, she'd cried when Haku died, and cried even more at Zabuza's devotion as he too met his end. So had Naruto, though he'd tried to hide it. Even Sasuke hadn't been able to remain unaffected. She also knew that what happened to Haku was one of the only times Kakashi regretted killing an enemy.

Things are not always as simple as they seem. Almost anything could be justified when looked at from a certain perspective. Sakura would never truly turn against Konoha, would never willingly act in a way that would hurt or kill her comrades, but neither could she be a blind soldier any longer. She wasn't the only one who felt that way. Kakashi had done things in his past that were not looked upon kindly by the elders and their rigid laws. Naruto had disobeyed direct orders several times, been a hair's breadth from committing treason more than once when it came to dealing with Sasuke. And Sai, who was pretty much a blind soldier to begin with, had also done underhanded things in the interest of what he considered the greater good. Even her shishou, the Hokage, had come very close to crossing that line when she was asked to heal, and had only refused in the end because she knew her reasons were selfish and ultimately unjustifiable.

Sakura's reasons were not selfish, she told herself over and over. She didn't feel guilty for healing Deidara's arm, and she didn't feel guilty for offering to heal Itachi's eyes. It was the fact that she _didn't_ feel guilty that unsettled her. Something was changing within her, but she didn't know if it was because of what she was currently going through, or something that was set in motion long ago.

No one questioned her when she got up silently and left the room, either because they didn't care, or because saying something would indicate they _did_. So they merely glanced at her curiously, and continued their conversation as she closed the door.

* * *

An hour after Sakura returned to her room, Itachi returned from wherever he'd been. She was sitting in the armchair with her legs drawn up to her chest, and didn't look at him as he removed his cloak and laid it on the bed.

"Are you ready to begin?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "I'll need you to lie down on the bed."

Itachi regarded her a moment and then did as she said, lying back on the bed and crossing his ankles, his arms folded loosely over his stomach. Sakura rose slowly and moved to the foot of the bed, crawled across and sat next to Itachi, tucking her legs under her as she settled. He watched every movement, his body slightly tense. He was obviously a little wary, and she figured if Uchiha Itachi was ever capable of getting nervous, this would probably be the time.

"How long will this take?" he wanted to know.

Sakura slipped into medic mode, her voice low and firm. "I have to diagnose the extent of the damage first, which may be a bit uncomfortable for you, but probably not as bad as the pain you already feel. The actual healing process shouldn't take long, maybe a few sessions over a couple days. The good news is I've done this before, with Kakashi, so all the research was done on him and I can do this pretty easily." He gave no indication of what he thought about her healing the Copy Ninja's transplant Sharingan. "Also, I'm letting you know ahead of time that once I begin to examine the damage you may temporarily lose vision." His eyes narrowed. "It will only be for a moment and won't do any harm. I understand your suspicion, but if you freak out and snap my neck or something, I won't be able to bring your sight back and you'll be stuck that way forever. So just try to relax."

His jaw clenched slightly, but he nodded that he understood. Sakura took a deep breath. "Turn the Sharingan off, please." He did, and as always, she was fascinated by the way the colors bled together until the red was gone. His dark eyes were beautiful, and she got lost in them for a second. She snapped out of it when he spoke softly.

"Are you fully prepared for this, Sakura?"

She knew he didn't mean the task at hand. Her eyes fell to her hands in her lap.

"If you do this, there will be no going back. Are you ready for what could happen because of it?"

"I'm surprised you would say such a thing, like you care," she muttered.

"As I said before, this will be taken as an act of treason to your village. Even those you love may not understand your logic or forgive you. It makes no difference to me what you make of your life. I'm simply pointing out that decisions like this will change things about you, and lead you to a path you may not be ready to go down."

He was being slightly introspective, she realized. Itachi was speaking from experience. It made her wonder, but now wasn't the time to ask. "I'm fully aware of the possible consequences, Itachi. I was resolved in my decision before I ever brought it up to you. You should know I wouldn't do something of this magnitude on impulse, just as I know you didn't agree to it on impulse. This thing we're about to do will affect your life as well. Are _you_ prepared?"

Itachi smirked faintly, and weighed her words. In order for this to happen he would have to _trust_ her, be _vulnerable_ in front of her. Essentially, put his verylife in her hands. Itachi knew what his agreement implied, knew that in a way he was showing weakness. But Sakura's eyes were clear and determined and showed no deception. Also, he knew that if she killed him Sasuke would never forgive her. She wouldn't risk that. He could trust in that, if not completely in her. "Let's begin, then."

Sakura placed her fingertips at his temples, brushing his hair aside as she did. The dark strands were surprisingly soft, and she felt a little awkward and strange because she had never willfully touched him before. All his messing with her, for all its sexual undertone, somehow didn't feel quite as intimate as this. Forcing herself to concentrate, she carefully began.

She worked for hours, first diagnosing, then beginning the complicated healing process—clearing chakra buildup from the retinal pathways, relieving tension and repairing damage on the optical nerves. His condition was far worse than Kakashi's, as she'd expected, but it was a bit surprising to discover the full extent. He'd been functioning at only about fifty percent for years. She also noted that the chakra buildup caused him acute pain and that his nerve endings were far more damaged than Kakashi's. It was amazing that he was still be so lethal when he was literally half blind and suffering constant migraines.

Several times she asked him to switch between the ocular forms, turning the Sharingan off and on again, then from regular to Mangekyo. Itachi complied without question. The Mangekyo form freaked her out, just being aware of what he could do—and _did_ do, quite often—with it. She had looked without fear into Kakashi's Mangekyo, which was just as deadly, though somewhat less…sadistic, in its abilities. But she trusted Kakashi completely. This man was an entirely different case, and though she knew he wasn't going to use it on her, she didn't feel comfortable looking into it for more than a second or two.

Just as she'd warned before they began, at one point his vision went out completely. His entire body tensed visibly and alarm showed clearly on his face, but Itachi remained still, though his fingers twitched once or twice like he was resisting the urge to reach out and grab her. It was a dangerous moment, and she made sure to keep talking to him during that short time in an effort to pacify his agitation. As promised, his sight returned shortly, and after that he slowly began to relax. Eventually he seemed to relax completely, as much as he was ever capable of doing, and stretched out more comfortably on the bed, tucking an arm behind his head. Sakura shifted her position as well until her thigh rested lightly against his side. This time she didn't think about the contact, too engrossed in her task to really notice how close they were. He didn't react to it either, just laid there with his eyes closed, probably enjoying the first relief his eyes had had in years.

For the first hour or so Sakura worked in silence, but eventually they began to talk about little things. Nothing too personal, just quiet, simple if somewhat stilted conversation to pass the time. Itachi was an interesting person to talk to. He was intelligent, surprisingly cultured, and though he wasn't humorous, she found he was actually almost pleasant when he wanted to be. As long as they steered clear of subjects that were touchy or personal she didn't mind talking to him.

Sakura worked until she'd used up a good portion of her chakra and was too tired to continue. She told Itach to keep his eyes closed for now, to give them a bit of time to heal and adjust, and he complied without argument. She ran her fingers through her short hair, removed her hitai-ate and tossed it aside. Itachi didn't move from where he lay, his arm still behind his head and his breathing slow and even, and after several minutes it appeared he'd fallen asleep. She wasn't surprised; he probably couldn't even remember the last time his eyes had felt no pain, and intense relief had relaxed him into unconsciousness.

Sakura watched his sleeping face. He looked so different this way, so unguarded and young. She looked away with a small frown. Emotionally and physically exhausted, and too drained to care about much of anything, she reached over Itachi and turned off the light before lying down on her side of the bed and quickly falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Under the gray light of dawn, Naruto looked around the dismal scene and kicked one of the smoldering beams at his feet. Hearing a small shuffling sound, he looked to his left to see one of Kakashi's ninken dogs pass by, nose trained to the ground. "Anything?" he asked wearily, running a dirty hand through his hair.

The ninken didn't raise his head, continued sniffing. "Nothing," he replied, and went off in a different direction.

Naruto kicked another beam out of spite and walked back to the others. If the dog hadn't found anything over here, there was no point in him searching that area anymore.

They found the smoking ruin of the farmhouse just before dawn. Alarmed because this was directly where the Akatsuki trail led them, Kakashi immediately summoned his dogs and they all searched frantically for hours. Naruto wasn't the only one with burns on his hands from trying to move charred beams and planks that still smoldered and broke apart, showering them with embers. After a while the dogs assured them that one, at least a full day had passed since this happened, and two, there were no bodies among the debris. Whoever had been here got out before the fire started. Extremely relieved, they'd set to searching for the escape trail, but the dogs were having a hard time because of all the smoke and char. They were also not the first to find this place after it burned down; numerous footprints crisscrossed all around the area. Kakashi and Yamato agreed it must have been Iwa ANBU. The previous investigation made their job harder, with so many new tracks covering any that were already there, their scents mixing in with everything until the dogs couldn't distinguish what was underneath them.

Naruto found his team in what had once been the back yard. Kakashi and Yamato stood together talking in muted voices, and Sai sat on a ruined stone wall, picking absently at crumbling pieces of concrete and tossing them aside. All three looked his way when he entered their line of sight, but soon returned to what they were doing when his demeanor told them that he, too, had found nothing.

A shuffling sound announced Pakkun as he trotted quickly toward them. Kakashi squatted down to the pug's level as he stopped in front of his master.

Pakkun made a sound almost like clearing his throat. "I picked up a scent on the north side of the house. It wasn't Sakura," he added quickly, seeing their expressions. "However, it was strangely familiar, so I followed it. It wasn't leading away from the house but going toward it, and I was backtracking. Once I got farther from the smells here I was able to distinguish it."

"What did you find?"

The ninken looked at Kakashi pointedly. "It's Sasuke's scent."

"_Sasuke!"_ Naruto blurted.

"Are you certain?" Kakashi pressed.

The pug frowned. "Am I ever wrong about these things? It's been a long time, but I remember him. There were two others with him: a male and a female."

"He may have seen the fire and came to investigate," Yamato ventured.

"Hmph. That bastard doesn't go out of his way for things that don't involve him," Naruto muttered.

"More likely he heard about the incident in that town, and once he realized his brother was involved, he followed the same trail we did," Kakashi said.

"Do you think that means he knows about Sakura-chan?"

"Probably."

"Kakashi," the little pug continued, "do you want me to keep looking for Sasuke's departing trail? Perhaps we could follow it if we don't find Sakura's."

He nodded. "Let me know what you find." Pakkun grunted in affirmation and loped off in the direction he'd come.

The four men were silent as they processed this new information. Naruto scuffed his toe absently at the dirt, thinking about his lost friend and the fact that because of this, they were closer than ever to finding him. Kakashi remained where he was, crouched easily with his elbows on his knees. His soot covered, gloved hand kept clenching and unclenching in a fist as though he was stretching his fingers, but his visible eye was dark and troubled.

Naruto, who was never any good at hiding what he was thinking, watched his team leader with concern. He wanted to say something, but the presence of the other two prevented it.

Yamato, always perceptive, decided to give the two some privacy. "I'll keep helping Pakkun and the other dogs. Sai, you coming?"

The artist was pretty intuitive himself, and nodded. Digging one last chunk of concrete out of the ruined wall, he chucked it lightly at Naruto's head with a smirk and hopped to the ground. The blond grunted in annoyance as the piece hit him with a thunk, and punched his teammate in the arm with a half-hearted grin as he walked by. They soon disappeared, leaving Naruto and Kakashi alone.

Naruto sat down on an unburnt patch of grass near the silent Copy Ninja. "I'm sure we'll find the trail soon," he said, trying to sound positive. "At least we know Sakura-chan wasn't caught in the fire." The older man's only response was a faint nod as he continued to stare at the ground in front of him. Naruto frowned in concern at his friend and team leader. "You told me not to tear myself up, Kakashi. The same goes for you."

Kakashi looked at him askance, but said nothing. Naruto sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. "It's like you said; Sakura-chan is strong. I know what she means to you and how worried you must be, but she's alright. I know it."

Kakashi glanced at him again. "Sakura means a lot to all of us."

Naruto returned his vagueness with a knowing smile. "Yeah, but I know it's different for you. Believe me, I understand what you're feeling. If Akatsuki had taken Hinata I'd be going out of my mind."

Kakashi frowned a little and stared off into the distance. The skyline was dark and cloudy; it was going to rain today, and if they didn't find a trail soon, it may be covered completely by the downpour. "I'm not sure what you're implying, Naruto. It's not the same thing at all."

Naruto was becoming a little annoyed with his obstinate leader. "You know damn well what I mean."

Kakashi still didn't look at him. "I do, but your point is off. Sakura and I are not, nor have we ever been, romantically involved. It's not like that."

"_Kakashi_," Naruto snapped exasperatedly. "Even _I'm_ not that oblivious. I know you and Sakura-chan aren't together like that. But that doesn't mean you don't love her. I mean, we _all_ love her, but you're _in_ _love_ with her, and when something like this happens you can't hide it, so don't sit there and play mind games with me. I'm trying to be a friend, damn it."

Kakashi stared. When did Naruto get so damned perceptive? He looked at the ground again. He figured that since the knucklehead was likely going to be his Hokage one day, it was probably a good thing that he could be mature and wise at least some of the time. Damn him anyway. He sighed wearily. "Is it that obvious?"

The 'knucklehead' gave a lopsided grin. "Only to anyone who sees the two of you interact on a regular basis. Sai knows. Hell, I think even Yamato-senpai knows, and he isn't around much anymore. I think the only one who doesn't know is Sakura-chan, but that's probably just because she blocks out those kinds of thoughts about her teammates. Because of the whole Sasuke thing," he finished sagely.

Kakashi was silent for a long moment. Then, "I thought you'd be angry."

Naruto was taken aback. "Angry? Why would I be angry? I think it's great! I've known you both a long time, and honestly, I think you're perfect for each other." Kakashi emitted a short, dismal laugh. Naruto's expression sobered somewhat. "Why haven't you told her?"

"It's complicated."

"How is it complicated?"

Kakashi looked away again. He was _not_ about to get into a heartfelt conversation about love and the nuances and complexities of relationships. Not now, and probably not ever. "It just is."

"No, it's not, Kakashi. No one's better at getting in the way of their own happiness than you. Except maybe Sasuke. But anyway, it's time you cut that shit out, man. When we get Sakura-chan back you'd better find a way to tell her."

Kakashi didn't really know how to respond, even if he wanted to. He was still in the process of finding his voice when one of his ninken let out a long, baying howl from the direction of the forest. They'd found something.

The two men instantly jumped to their feet and exchanged mutual looks of alarm and anticipation. Without another word, they ran toward the woods.

* * *

Once again, Itachi was already gone when Sakura woke up. She rolled over and noticed the rumpled bedcovers. Did he sleep next to her all night? She supposed it didn't really matter, though she was sort of relieved she didn't have to go through an awkward wake-up moment with him.

She couldn't help but notice that as soon as they arrived here he stopped the flirtatious little game he'd started. He also hadn't called her 'kunoichi' since she snapped at him about it. Not that she was complaining. In fact, the main reason she'd been wary of sharing a room with him was because she was sure he would use the situation to mess with her again. But there had been no teasing, no innuendo, and no intimate invasion of personal space. It seemed he'd either grown bored with it, or nearly kissing her on the dining room table had startled him as much as it had her.

It was a good thing, Sakura decided, because it was all way too unsettling. She rolled onto her back and stared at the dark ceiling, waking up slowly. Again, she had no idea what time it was, and no idea how late she'd stayed up working on Itachi's eyes last night. Remembering the day before, she sighed. She had already violated several laws during her bizarre captivity, but repairing the deadly weapon of the Uchiha clan killer topped them all. Uchiha Itachi was the most wanted criminal in Konoha, now that Orochimaru was dead. If anyone found out about their deal she would be in big trouble, and they weren't going to accept that she did it out of some strange sense of obligation to Uchiha Sasuke—also a wanted missing-nin.

No one was going to find out, she told herself for the umpteenth time. Except the other Akatsuki, but they certainly weren't going to tell anyone. As for her teammates, they may not agree, but they would understand that she did it for Sasuke. That was, _if_ she told them. Which brought up the question again; what was happening to her to make her feel this way?

She wondered vaguely if it was that rare condition some people got when held in captivity, where they became attached or even fell in love with their captors no matter how cruelly they were treated. She shuddered at the thought. No it definitely wasn't _that_. Her relationship with the men holding her captive was one of wary respect and even a sort of bizarre amity, but that didn't mean she was getting attached. People with the syndrome she'd read about tended to identify with their captors, siding with them against their rescuers, and that was most definitely _not_ happening. She had every intention of returning home when this was over, no matter how morbidly chummy she got with the S-class criminals holding her. She was well aware of the dangers of humanizing one's enemy, but she wasn't going to let it twist her thinking like that.

Whatever was going on with her right now, the seed had been planted a long time ago, and just needed something drastic like this to begin blooming.

After her morning routine, Sakura made her way to the room across the hall. Deidara and Tobi were sitting around looking remarkably like a couple of bored teenagers. Tobi, who she'd correctly guessed had been forced to sleep on the floor due to the room's lack of beds, was lying on his sleeping bag, reading a manga. He greeted her enthusiastically, and she gave him a faint smile. How he could read anything in the dim light while wearing that stupid mask with only one eyehole was a mystery to her, but she was amused by the odd picture he made.

Deidara looked slightly less juvenile with a pile of kunai and other sharp instruments spread out before him on the bed. It looked like he was getting ready to sharpen them, and she offered to help. He only had one whetstone, but told her she could prep them if she wanted. So she set to cleaning and removing any buildup and dirt from the various items with a wet rag. He hadn't been in any fights lately—not counting her, when he hadn't used any weapons—so she was spared from working out any dried blood or other unpleasant stuff.

They talked as they worked. Tobi piped up here and there, but was too engrossed in what he was reading to really join in. Sakura noticed that Deidara was far more tolerant of Tobi in private. She guessed that he didn't actually hate Tobi, he just hated to be embarrassed in front of others and his partner had a way of doing that without realizing. Also, he was egotistical and got mad when Tobi didn't pay attention to him. The explosives expert was a bit sensitive like that.

Sakura put the last kunai into Deidara's pile to be sharpened and laid on her stomach with her head resting on her arms, watching him work. After a while the topic of their conversation turned to art, as it usually did when talking to Deidara. Although Sakura didn't really know much about art, she found that if she thought about it enough she actually _did_ have opinions and theories, and he seemed to like what he was hearing so she ran with it. He became particularly animated when discussing his favorite subject, but Tobi obviously didn't feel the same because shortly after the topic was brought up, he left.

He returned a while later with food, and they ate lunch as Tobi recounted a funny story about some random thing he'd seen while he was out. Afterward Deidara went back to sharpening, Tobi picked up the manga again, and Sakura lay back down with a shinobi gear and weapons catalog she'd found at the foot of the bed. They passed the time like that, with Sakura occasionally pointing out particularly interesting and cool gadgets to the man beside her, until she got bored and eventually fell asleep.

She woke up sometime later, still on Deidara's bed, her head at the foot of the mattress. Deidara and Tobi were gone, and Kisame was sitting in the armchair reading the same magazine she'd been looking at earlier. Strange how she kept letting her guard down around these dangerous men, but she knew they weren't going to harm her. In a warped way, she supposed she trusted them…to an extent.

The shark looked up when she stirred, teased her snarkily that she sure liked her beauty sleep, and then told her that Itachi wanted her to go back over to the other room when she woke up. _When_ she woke up? Why didn't they just wake her up if they wanted something? It was odd that they indulged her so, no matter how unconventional of kidnappers they were turning out to be. She got up, and with a comment to Kisame to check out the cool stuff on page thirty-two, she went back to her own room.

Itachi was waiting when she came in, sitting in the armchair with his cloak open and his hands folded in front of him. He appeared to be meditating, but opened his eyes as soon as she closed the door. He asked if she was ready to continue, and she told him that she was but if he continued to use his bloodline limit when it wasn't necessary he was just going to damage it again and there was no point in doing it at all. He didn't respond to her scolding, but when he laid down on the bed his Sharingan was off.

She didn't work as long as the night before, not wanting to exhaust herself to the point of passing out again. Like before, she had Itachi rest his eyes for a few minutes to let the healing take full effect. After several more minutes she told him he could open them, and his dark eyes immediately began to wander, finally able to see the effects of the healing. His eyes traveled to Sakura's face, and he stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. He got up and walked around the room, examining everything he saw as if it was all new.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the enlivened look in his eyes. She was proud of her achievement, despite the tiny voice in the back of her mind that whispered she'd just unleashed a monster.

Giddy enthusiasm was probably not within the range of capable emotion for Uchiha Itachi, so she contented herself with the expression of _almost_-excitement on his face. He turned at her approach, his eyes absorbing minute details of her face that he'd never noticed until now. She felt a little insecure under his scrutinizing gaze, and was about to pull away when he reached out and held a lock of her hair between his fingers, twisted the ends around his knuckles, splayed the strands between his fingertips. She knew his rapt fascination was simply because he could see the individual strands now, when he couldn't before, but it somehow felt more intimate than that.

That was ridiculous; Itachi wasn't the type for such an affectionate gesture. But then she remembered him pinning her against the table, how softly his fingertips had trailed her cheek. A hot blush rose on her cheeks, but she couldn't force herself to pull away.

Itachi's gaze locked with hers, his hand still entwined in her hair. That hint of excitement was still there in his eyes, but there was also a bit of confusion, as if he himself didn't know why he was doing what he was currently doing. He seemed poised to say something when there was a knock on the door. His hand quickly fell away.

"Come in," he said.

Kisame entered, followed by Deidara and Tobi. Sakura tried to look as guiltless as possible so no one would think they had just been doing something…well, _anything _really.

"Yo. We're going to hit the bar downstairs. You coming?" the shark asked.

Without an obvious reply, Itachi walked to the door. Sakura followed right along after him. All four Akatsuki regarded her bemusedly. "What?" she said. "I want to go too."

Kisame grinned. "Are you even old enough to drink?"

Sakura scoffed. "What the does that matter? Don't be so uptight. I _told_ you I wasn't going to try and run away, and I'm not going to scream for help when I'm around people, either. Like any of the lowlifes in this place would help me anyway. Besides, I could use a drink after what you bastards have put me through."

They all looked to Itachi expectantly. He looked at Sakura, then made a small gesture implying he didn't care either way and walked down the hall.

Sakura smiled triumphantly, and Kisame gave her a toothy grin. "Alright princess, just keep in mind no one's gonna hold your pretty pink hair for you when you're puking your guts out."

"Remember those words when I drink your blue ass under the table."

Kisame smirked, Deidara and Tobi laughed, and the four of them left the room and headed downstairs.

* * *

The bar was crowded and noisy. Though the inn offered only ten rooms, the little tavern attached to it was apparently quite popular in the rough neighborhood. A band of traveling musicians was playing tonight—gypsies, Sakura soon learned.

They found a table in a dark back corner and 'persuaded' the rough looking men there to let them have it. Before they left, one of the drunker ones decided to make a leering pass at Sakura, reaching out unsteadily to grab her around the waist. Sakura promptly kicked his chair over with him still on it. He hit the floor with a loud thud, and the other occupants of the tavern, including his buddies, wisely pretended not to notice as he crawled away with an unintelligible grumble.

Once they'd successfully bullied themselves a table, they all sat down and Kisame waved for the attention of the barmaid. He grinned at Sakura. "You always that friendly with your suitors?"

Sakura snorted. "Slimy bastard's lucky I didn't break that wandering arm of his."

The sake arrived and they began to drink. Heavily. These guys knew how to throw down the liquor, and Sakura soon began to enjoy herself, laughing at crude jokes and reminiscing about some of the ridiculous things that happened in the life of a shinobi. Tobi had the lowest tolerance, and after an hour he was passed out with his head on the table, snoring. Deidara kept smacking him on the head but to no avail; the snoring always started again shortly afterward.

Sakura happily settled into a drinking contest with Kisame. She kept up with him easily, eventually started to outdo him. Itachi gave them a perceptive smirk, knowing full well what she was up to. Kisame hadn't figured it out yet, much to her amusement. As a medic it was easy to speed up her metabolism and liver functions, rapidly burning off the alcohol. Though due to the large amounts of sake the shark was making her consume in a relatively short period of time, she wasn't able to burn it off fast enough to completely avoid intoxication. Though she wasn't nearly as drunk as Kisame, who swayed in his seat.

Deidara and Itachi hadn't consumed nearly as much, though the blond was looking considerably worse for wear than the Uchiha. "You're so tiny!" he exclaimed. "How the hell can you drink that much and not be on the floor already, hm?"

"Practice." She downed another cup with a smug look at Kisame. She was warm and flushed, extremely relaxed and just a bit lightheaded. The band switched to a new song, a folk tune native to their tribal culture, with heavy hand drums and a wood flute. The heavy exotic beat flowed through her intoxicated veins, and she soon found herself gently swaying to the rhythm. She closed her eyes to better feel the music flow into her, and didn't notice the attention she was earning from the others at the table. After a moment she stood up a little unsteadily and began to move toward the band.

"Where you goin?" Kisame grunted, sloshing his head as he tried to follow her movements too quickly.

"Nowhere," she answered dismissively, and continued to the center of the tavern where a makeshift dance floor had been cleared. Some of the patrons were attempting to dance drunkenly with the barmaids, and Sakura made her own little space. She swayed her hips in time with the exotic music. Several of the men in the tavern were watching her hungrily, though none dared approach her after seeing what she did to the last guy. Not to mention the dark wave of pure intimidation coming from the back corner where her companions were sitting. It was quite clear that any man who approached the dancing kunoichi would die before they got within five feet.

Sakura moved her lithe body in the same sensual rhythm as the music, her head occasionally swaying to the side, hips swirling in a fluid, snake-like motion. She glanced in the direction of her table and noticed that Kisame had finally succumbed and was out like a light with his head thrown back over his chair. However, Deidara and Itachi were staring at her very intently, and _not_ to make sure she didn't run off. Sakura got a sharp thrill from their obvious interest. Too tipsy to feel uneasy about their predatory stares, or the fact that she _liked_ it, she turned her back to them again and, without thinking about what she was doing, began to move her body just a bit more sensually than before.

When the song ended Sakura made her way back to the table, aware of the leering men watching her from dark corners. She knew that the sinister aura coming from her table was the only reason they hadn't swarmed her. Loathsome as those men were, she was secretly pleased; she wasn't used to feeling attractive and drawing men's attention. That distinction was usually reserved for her busty blonde friend. She concentrated on walking steadily back to her seat and sitting down without looking drunk.

Both Itachi and Deidara were still staring at her, and the blond gave her a sly smirk. "Have fun?"

"Mmhm," she drawled, and since Kisame was out of service and beginning to drool, she reached for the sake and drank straight from the bottle. This made Deidara chuckle, and they started up another conversation. The entire time she remained at the table, Itachi's eyes never left her, and she could feel their smoldering intensity no matter how much she tried to ignore it. When she drained the last of the bottle and told them she was going up to bed they didn't question it, and but their eyes followed after her as she left.

#

Sakura slowly and carefully ascended the stairs and made her way down the dark hallway toward the bathroom. She locked the door and turned the faucet on, running cold water over her flushed face and neck for a minute to wake and refresh her. She stayed with her arms braced against the sink rim for several minutes after that, trying to clear her head. She'd won the bet against Kisame, though it was too bad they didn't bet anything substantial. On the other hand, she couldn't believe she had acted deliberately seductive toward two members of Akatsuki! Even if it was only dancing by herself. She hoped she wouldn't regret that little drunken impulse later.

She had no idea how much time had passed since she'd come upstairs. Feeling much better, though still quite tipsy, she left the washroom and rounded the corner to head back to her room when a dark shape appeared in front of her. She knew instantly who it was, and she looked up into the darkly smoldering eyes that had watched her downstairs. A thrill ran through her body. He was very close, so close she caught the sweet smell of sake on his breath. She closed her eyes briefly at the rush of sensation brought on by his nearness, and in that brief moment she suddenly found herself pinned firmly, but not roughly, against the wall.

Itachi grasped her around the waist and entrapped her with his body. She gasped a little as one hand slid up her side. He leaned in closer, dark strands of his dark hair tickling her ear. She raised her hands instinctively to his chest, but all thoughts of pushing against him flew out of her mind when he brought his face to the curve of her neck.

Her fingers curled into his shirt. "Itachi…" she whispered uncertainly, having trouble finding coherent thought to form words. The light, one-day stubble on his chin scraped the tender skin of her neck, giving her a chill.

He pressed closer, grasping her around the ribs. His nose brushed against her skin, lips ghosting over the place where her neck met her ear. "You started it, Sakura," he murmured softly.

The way he said her name in that velvet voice made her shiver, and Itachi noticed it; she felt his lips curve in a smirk against the shell of her ear. She _had_ started it. She had behaved seductively, and shouldn't be surprised her seduction had worked – even on a man as seemingly unmovable as Itachi. As much as she knew she should be against this, she couldn't think of anything but the erotic tension building inside her. Her hands gripped into the fabric of his shirt and she couldn't prevent the small sigh of pleasure as his mouth closed over her earlobe, sucking lightly. Her head fell back against the wall as his lips brushed that sensitive spot where her ear met her jaw. Without thinking, one hand slid up to his shoulders, her fingers twining into the long soft hair at the base of his neck and pulling. He breathed harshly in what was almost a growl and one hand grasped the side of her neck as his mouth trailed down the other side, sucking and nibbling as he went.

Some small amount of clarity reached her fuddled mind, and she thought about where they were and what she was doing and with _who_. Her hands slid back down to Itachi's chest, though she still couldn't bring herself to push. "Itachi," she whispered again, the uncertainty in her tone juxtaposed by the desire laced with it. "Itachi…we…we can't do this." Her body craved the sensations he was causing, but her mind was whispering that this was wrong. Wrong place, wrong time, and most definitely _wrong_ man.

"Mm," he murmured, "why not?" His mouth worked over her throat and he began his sweet torture on the other side.

_Because you're _you_, and I'm_ me! her conscience screamed. She almost lost her train of thought as he gently bit her pulse point. "Because you're drunk," she managed to rasp.

He made an amused sound. "Do you really think so?" His fingers began to tease under the hem of her shirt.

Of course he wasn't drunk, because Itachi wouldn't allow himself to become vulnerable around other people, especially strangers. It was getting harder and harder to think. If only he would stop _doing_ that! And that. _Oh Gods_. "Because…_I'm_ drunk," she tried again.

She nearly lost the ability to breathe, let alone think, and arched into him unconsciously when his warm hands moved under her shirt and over her bare stomach. His lips moved closer and closer to her mouth. He was going to kiss her, and she was dangerously close to giving in. If she didn't end this now…she would soon stop trying.

"Itachi…." Her body was refusing to listen to what her mind was telling it. "Please…not like this," she panted, realizing too late what she'd just said.

Itachi caught it as well, and his mouth stopped its exploration just as it reached the corner of her lips. He pulled back slightly to look in her eyes, and there was a devious smirk on his lips. "Not like this?" he repeated huskily. His smirk widened. "Like _how_ then, Sakura?"

Too late to deny what she'd just freely insinuated, she closed her eyes and waited. After a moment he slowly slid his hands down her stomach and out from under her shirt, trailing over her hips lightly. She still couldn't open her eyes and look into those dark, smoldering depths that effortlessly turned her into a weak-willed little puddle, but soon she felt his body pull away and her hands dropped to her sides. When she opened her eyes, he had disappeared down the dark hallway.

Sakura rushed to her room and crawled into the bed, her head spinning from more than just alcohol. What the hell just happened? She'd just been felt up in the hallway by Uchiha Itachi and she'd enjoyed it! She'd craved more, there was no use denying it any longer, to herself or to him. What was she going to do?

Sakura desperately hoped he wouldn't come back to the room tonight. She wasn't afraid of what he might do, but that she might not try to stop him again if he did.


	10. In Darkness I Know Myself

**Perception**

Chapter Ten: In Darkness I Know Myself

* * *

"Sakura-san!"

The sound of the door opening and hurried footsteps pulled Sakura from her alcohol-deepened sleep. She squinted to try and make out the bulky figure against the dim light of the hallway. "Tobi?"

The masked nin was highly agitated and was waving his hands frantically at her. "Wake up! There's trouble, Sakura-san! We have to get downstairs fast!"

As much as she wanted to tell him to go away and let her sleep it off, she knew better than to argue in this kind of situation. She got up as quickly as her inebriated state would allow. How long since she'd gone to bed? She looked over at the jittery masked man. Groaning under her breath and wondering why things like this always had to happen at the worst possible times, like when she was drunk, she pulled on her boots and moved to Tobi's side.

"You'd better grab your stuff, Sakura-san."

She did, muttering obscenities under her breath about how the universe liked to torment her, and returned to the doorway. "What's going on, Tobi?"

He shrugged. "Deidara-senpai just told me to come and get you. We have to leave this place, that's all Tobi knows."

They left the room, closing the door behind them. The other room was closed as well, and she eyed it curiously as they hurried down the hall. "Where is everyone?"

"Downstairs. Deidara-senpai went to wake up the manger. They're waiting for us," he said as they descended the staircase and passed into the reception area.

The lobby was empty, but voices could be heard from beyond the doorway behind the desk. Whatever was happening back there didn't sound good. Tobi went past the desk and through the private doorway and they entered the small apartment where the innkeeper lived. She immediately noted the stench and the slovenly state of this private area, not a surprise from such a filthy little man, but that wasn't what caught her attention. What she saw was not far from what she had expected, though she had hoped against it.

Deidara was there with the shady innkeeper, grasping him tightly by the back of what was left of his hair and dragging him roughly into the kitchen. "You made the worst mistake of your life tonight, old man," he said harshly.

"The last mistake, right Deidara-senpai?" Tobi said, inappropriately cheerful.

Deidara jerked his hold on the little man, who was emitting small, pig-like squealing noises.

He looked at Sakura then, and she was taken aback by how hard and cold his blue eyes were. Although his anger wasn't directed at her, she was still struck by the change in him. Gone was the laid-back humor and casual arrogance. Right now he was all business and intimidating malice. She hadn't forgotten what he was, but this was the first time she'd seen the dangerous-killer-and-international-criminal side of him since the day they took her.

"What's going on?" she asked in alarm, just as Kisame walked in. The shark took in the scene and snickered sadistically.

Deidara kicked the innkeeper in the back of the knee, making him fall to the ground with a startled cry, still keeping his grip in the man's balding hair. "This little fucker recognized us and decided to turn us in for the reward money Iwa is giving for information, yeah," he growled, giving the hair in his fingers an angry twist.

"Please! I swear I didn't do anything! I didn't tell anyone you were here, just like I promised! I swear!" the innkeeper cried frantically, trying to grovel at Deidara's feet, which he prevented by tugging upward on the man's hair.

"Cut the bullshit, old man. You picked the wrong people to snitch on," Kisame said, glaring at him with a pointy-toothed sneer.

"How do you know he did it?" Sakura asked, eyeing the innkeeper with distaste. Whether he was innocent or not, he gave her the creeps.

"A team of Stone nins was lurking down the block, and when we checked the reception desk, we found the contact information for Iwagakure," the shark answered.

"Hunters?" she asked.

"No, just a scouting team. But the hunters are on their way now, for sure. They'll be here soon, if they're not already in town."

"No, no! I swear…it's a coincidence that those guys are here! I…that stuff in the desk ain't mine! I was set up! Yeah…I'm being set up! Pl- eagh!"

"Shut up! It's too late for begging, yeah." Deidara jerked on the man's head to silence him.

"What are we waiting for, then? Where are the scouts now?" she questioned.

"Dead."

She turned to see Itachi walk casually into the room as if nothing unusual was happening. As if he hadn't just killed an entire group of scouts single-handedly. He looked like he'd just come in from an evening stroll.

"Is everything settled here?" he wanted to know.

Deidara nodded, and a grinning Kisame began to walk toward the captive innkeeper. "Stand him up, Deidara."

He did, pulling hard on the man's hair and forcing him to stand. The traitorous little man began flailing his arms wildly. "No! No, wait, please…I'm telling you! I—"

"Wait a sec!" Deidara exclaimed, but he was ignored as Kisame reached in his cloak and pulled out a kunai, and with amazing speed, slit the dirty-dealing innkeeper's throat.

Blood sprayed Deidara in the face, and he glared at the shark as he dropped his hold on the innkeeper, who fell to the floor with a choked gurgling sound. "Goddamn it, Kisame! Couldn't you wait 'til I was out of the way?" He squinted and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"You'll live," Kisame replied gruffly, and walked back out to the reception area.

Sakura was horrified by how nonchalant they were about the gruesome execution. But she knew better than to expect mercy and compassion from Akatsuki members. She stared morbidly at the corpse of the innkeeper still bleeding out onto the dirty floor. She couldn't have tried to heal him even if they had allowed her to. She looked away quickly and reached in her medic apron for some gauze, handed it to Deidara.

"Thanks," he said irritably, taking the cloth and wiping the blood from his face and hand.

"We need to leave," Itachi said, totally unfazed, as usual.

"Ugh! It's in my fucking _hair_!" Deidara cried plaintively, holding up a long blond strand. "I'll get you back for this, Kisame, you hear me?"

A muffled response that sounded suspiciously like '_bring it_' drifted in from the other room.

Sakura was still a bit fuzzy and not quite steady on her feet, but she couldn't risk burning the remaining alcohol off because she would probably be fighting for her life very soon and needed to preserve her chakra. Resisting the urge to look one last time at the dead innkeeper, she followed the four men out of the inn and prepared herself for another long, hard run.

#

They were roughly two miles out of town when it began to rain. Thunder cracked loudly and the sky opened up to let loose a hard, drenching torrent. Large droplets penetrated the sparse tree cover and pelted the earth, and the forest was soon filled with an eerie mist. This could work for or against them; it was all a matter of who found whom first.

The rain made it perilous to travel at such high speeds. They ran hard, knowing they had direct pursuit, though the fact that most of them were still slightly intoxicated wasn't helping to make their escape easier, especially when combined with the wet branches and low visibility. Sakura occasionally heard feet slip against wet moss as they leapt through the trees, and more than once it was she who slipped, but no one lost footing or stumbled. They could not afford to. She hadn't had the time or foresight to put on her traveling cloak, and was soon soaked to the skin, though the exertion prevented her from getting chilled.

Another mile into the scant forest and they felt the first sign of their pursuers. They were catching up slowly but surely, and the five of them began to push even harder. This was Stone territory, and the pursuing nins knew the terrain. Deidara was leading them because this was his native land as well and he had a better idea of where to go than the rest, but he hadn't been here for many years and no longer had the home advantage that his former allies held.

Always running, never relaxing or letting your guard down even for a moment. Never trusting anyone. Never feeling safe. No sanctuary. No home. That was the life of a missing nin. Sakura couldn't imagine how anyone could _want_ to live like that. She knew now what Deidara had meant when he said that no missing nin chose this life from the beginning. This was the price they paid for their ambition. For their greed. For their mistakes.

She knew how Deidara got here, but she wondered about the others. What about Kisame? She didn't know how any Mist ninja became missing nin when the things that were _legal_ in their village were already atrocious. How bad did they have to get? She knew he would never tell her. Tobi was a total mystery. No one knew anything about him, not where he came from, not even what he looked like. He never talked about his past. It was strange that he gave _nothing_ away, because Sakura knew he wasn't that smart. It was almost like he didn't remember. How he'd ended up a missing-nin was the real mystery, since he had such an open and friendly personality. He had misguided ideals about right and wrong, but he was almost childlike in the way he looked at the world around him. If he really was an amnesiac, there was no point in asking.

Itachi was the one she knew the most about, since she had access to his top-secret file in Konoha, yet he was the biggest mystery of them all. She knew _how_ he had become a missing-nin, but the details surrounding the events were vague. When he was thirteen he was suspect in the death of his cousin. Then, before he could be charged with anything, he had murdered his entire clan in a single night, except for his younger brother, and fled. Clan affairs were kept internal, and the details of whether he was going to be charged with his cousin's murder were never revealed. If he _had_ done it, then why? She knew he had been the shining star of the Uchiha clan. He was _captain_ of an ANBU squad at only thirteen, an unprecedented and unrivaled achievement to this day. His ANBU record was spotless, and he'd had a reputation as a flawless assassin.

So why would he kill his cousin without reason? It made no sense. It also didn't seem right that he would kill his whole clan just to avoid prosecution, because the massacre itself was a far greater crime. When she'd asked, Itachi told her it was to test his own capacity. Meaning he did it just to see if he _could_, to prove whether or not he really _was_ a perfect assassin. To prove how far he would go to further his own ambition and desire for perfection. It seemed like a logical explanation for a sociopath. But there was a flaw; if he _truly_ wanted to test himself, he would have killed Sasuke, who was closest to him. Why did he leave him alive? Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe he really _was_ just completely insane. Still, there was something about it all that didn't sit right with her.

Sakura was pulled out of her thoughts as their pursuers closed in. She wondered why they didn't stop and fight the hunters off, since they were out in the middle of nowhere. She found out a moment later when she felt more chakra signatures from the tailing Stone nins. There were dozens of them. Iwa had sent an entire platoon or more after them, because they were Akatsuki.

If they had to turn and fight, Sakura would have to fight too. She was with the Akatsuki freely and not bound as a prisoner. They wouldn't care that she wasn't really one of them. Stone was notoriously hostile to all outsiders, and Konoha was _not_ an ally. They would kill her too, no questions asked. Or if they decided to take her prisoner, she would be far worse off than she was now, and no one would ever find her.

To save her own life, she would have to fight alongside her captors.

Up ahead, Deidara slowed up and motioned to the others to group together more closely as they ran. They did, and he spoke in a harsh, slightly winded tone. "We won't be able to lose these bastards since we can't slow down enough to cover our trail, yeah."

"How far is the border?" Itachi wanted to know.

"About twenty miles, but it's open territory, and they _will_ follow us over. Trust me."

"So we fight," Kisame said, anticipation gleaming in his silvery eyes.

"Looks that way," Deidara agreed, looking even more eager than the bloodthirsty shark nin. The explosives expert would be particularly aggressive against Stone nins.

"It can't be helped," Itachi said irritably. Sakura had heard before that Itachi was an odd sort of pacifist, refraining from fighting unless a mission required it or he had no other option. Strange, considering how ruthless he was when he _did_ fight. "Can you see how many there are, Deidara?"

"The weather's too nasty to zero in with my scope, yeah. I won't be able to see for sure until I get in the air. But I'm sure you can tell there are a lot of them."

"We'll have to split up," Kisame said. "Have three of us lead the majority off in another direction while one of us takes her away."

"What? Why? I'm not helpless!" Sakura protested.

"Oh? You'd fight alongside us, huh? That's a touching sentiment, princess, but we can't have anything happen to you, so this time you don't get a choice." Kisame ignored the kunoichi's indignant glare. "Which one of us is gonna go with her?"

"I can take her up in the air with me. She'll be pretty secure that way," Deidara offered.

Kisame snorted. "Not if you're gonna be right in the middle of it, going nuts on your old buddies. She has to be _away_ from the fighting. Itachi should take her."

"That's fine," Itachi said impassively.

Deidara just shrugged and threw something into the air in front of him. He made a quick hand seal and leapt out into open air. He fell out of sight for a second then appeared again on the back of a giant clay bird as it ascended. He rose to just below the tree line, then reached into his pouches and began molding clay. He tossed what were apparently missile-type explosives that looked like birds out before him and they zoomed off into the forest. There were several large, resounding explosions about two hundred meters away. Deidara laughed and shouted obscenities in the direction of his bombs. Tobi cheered him on, and Sakura couldn't help but laugh a little. He really _was _a mad bomber.

Itachi landed next to her and took hold of her arm. "They will lead them away from us. We must go," he said. There was no use arguing. He turned in the opposite direction and leapt away, Sakura following after.

They bounded through underbrush and leapt among tree branches and over small streams made by the storm. Itachi remained within arm's reach of her the entire time. Fortunately the exertion combined with the cold night air had finally burned off the last traces of alcohol, and unlike last time Sakura was full up on chakra, so she had no trouble keeping up with his pace. Now if only she wasn't soaked to the bone.

The fog and rain made it difficult to see, but up ahead she noticed that the ground seemed to have a gap or rift in it, and she prepared herself to jump when she reached it. Suddenly Itachi sped up ahead of her and jumped not over but down into the rift, his dark cloak billowing out around him as he fell. When she reached the gap she jumped down as well and found herself in a deep trench that had been carved into the earth by a small creek. Itachi only paused for a moment to make sure she'd followed him down, and then began to run along the top of the water. _So that was his idea_, she thought. Moving along a waterway left no trail and no scent to follow. Even ninken couldn't track over water, especially not in the rain. They ran along the water's surface for at least a mile, avoiding slippery river rocks and the protruding roots and branches that jutted from the gully walls. She estimated they were about two miles from where the group had separated. A few times they heard distant booming sounds from the battle taking place. _Deidara must be having a blast_.

The shallow gorge began to slope upward, and soon they found themselves back on forest level. The gully began again several yards away, almost as if this part of the ground had been filled in, and she realized they were on a manmade road. It wasn't a good idea to linger here, and they quickly ran back under cover of the trees and leapt up into the branches once more. Several hundred yards later Itachi stopped on a large branch of an enormous tree, and Sakura landed next to him carefully. He put an arm out in front of her to indicate they weren't moving on, and she looked up at his face, half hidden by his high collar. He was scanning the area for signs of any enemy presence.

"Is it safe to stop here?" she whispered.

He nodded and dropped his arm, turning to look at her once he was satisfied they were in the clear. The exposed parts of him were as soaked as she was. Strands of dark hair were plastered to his brow and cheeks, rivulets of water dripping off of them and down his neck into the open part of his cloak. Luckily the canopy of this tree was thick enough that it provided somewhat decent shelter against the torrent. The branch they were standing on was wide at its base, but short, and tilted upward at an angle, forcing them to stand close together. It was a little awkward, but a little thrilling at the same time, and the close proximity brought up memories of the incident in the hallway only a few hours ago.

At first Sakura thought he was just messing with her head again, but now she wasn't so sure. If he wanted to play mind games he didn't have to go that far. And the way he'd touched her, pressed his body against hers and moved his hands so sensuously over her…the way his mouth had felt against her neck, moving lustfully over her skin…it all felt very _genuine_. The look in his eyes had been one of undisguised lust. It was no longer a game. Itachi wanted her for real, and she could no longer deny that she felt it too. Even now as she watched him, her cheeks flushed and the heat pooled in her belly at the memory of his lips and tongue on her skin.

Sakura couldn't hear Deidara's explosions any longer. "How will the others find us?" she whispered.

The weight of his gaze settled on her. "They have ways," he answered cryptically.

Perhaps Deidara could find them from the air, though it was doubtful given the weather. Maybe it had something to do with their rings. Whatever it was, Sakura hoped they took care of those Stone nins and found them soon, because now that she was stationary she was getting very cold.

Itachi noticed her begin to shiver slightly. Her jaw was clenched tightly so her teeth didn't chatter, and she was obviously trying to hide her discomfort. She refused to ever show weakness, her emotional nature aside. She was extraordinary in many ways, and was more interesting than anyone he'd met in a long while. It would be a true shame if she forced him to kill her once he'd taken the jinchuuriki.

Sakura noticed his appraising gaze and crossed her arms over her chest to hide the fact that she was shivering, leaning back against the tree trunk and trying to look casual.

"Where is your cloak?" he asked her.

"In my pack. I didn't have time to put it on before we left. But I'm fine," she answered stiffly. Itachi continued to watch her, and after a moment he began to open his cloak. He moved closer and leaned against the tree at her side. "What—" she began, her eyes going wide.

"You're freezing," he stated quietly, his arm bracing against the trunk as he opened his cloak fully and leaned closer.

"I'll be fine," she muttered.

"As a medic you know better. If you become hypothermic, one of us _will_ have to carry you." He shifted his large cloak open wider so that the edges encompassed both of them.

Sakura frowned. He was very close, and she could already feel his body heat easing into her. It was comforting, even coming from him, but she wouldn't give in so easily. "Then I'll just speed up my metabolism and keep myself warm," she said, and prepared to do just that.

"Don't." His hand came up to press her shoulder into the tree. "You must conserve your chakra in case of a confrontation, and the signature would attract enemies to us." The pressure of his hand wasn't forceful, and once he was sure she'd heeded his warning, he moved it from her shoulder to the tree trunk on the other side of her, closing her in.

She didn't shy away; there was nowhere to move if she wanted to. "I…this isn't necessary," she muttered half-heartedly. The warmth coming from his body felt wonderful.

He smirked, aware that her protests were hollow. "Don't be so stubborn, Sakura," he murmured next to her ear.

She shivered again, though not from the cold this time, and hoped he didn't notice the effect he was having on her. Itachi looked off in to the trees again, and after a couple minutes her chilled body began to relax. She leaned her head back against the trunk and closed her eyes, unaware that her body was inching ever closer to his, subconsciously seeking the source of warmth.

Itachi noticed though, and returned his attention to the petite kunoichi. Her eyes were closed as she relaxed under the warmth of his bodyheat. Dark, spiky lashes ghosted against pale cheeks beaded with moisture. Her short hair was dark with water, clinging to her face and falling in thick, waving strands against her neck and shoulders. Her normally pink lips were pursed thin and as pale as the rest of her face. Itachi frowned ever so slightly.

Sakura could feel his gaze on her again, and she raised her lids slowly and almost sleepily met his eyes. Something shifted the moment they locked gazes, and a sharp thrill hit the pit of her stomach as she suddenly became aware of everything; his closeness, his arms trapping her against the tree, the heat from his body washing over her, the weight of his gaze as his captivating eyes burned into her. She could see tiny drops of rain on his cheeks, could even see the dark shadow of stubble on his chin. He was so close. So warm. She'd seen that look in his eyes once before, and when he moved closer she felt the air around them grow heavy, the small space between them thrumming with electricity.

Sakura _knew_, and so did Itachi. In this moment, this small pause in time, she felt the irreversible change. She had no thought of resistance, because gods help her, she _wanted_ it. She uncrossed her arms and shifted to align with him, eyes softening as her barriers fell away, lips parting slightly as she watched him weigh her decision alongside his own. His head tilted downward and she held her breath, her lashes falling softly as her gaze was drawn to his lips, and she waited as he closed in and his mouth hovered just above her own.

His lips brushed against hers softly, testing, before his mouth settled over hers in a smoldering kiss. She relaxed into the tree trunk and tentatively brought her hands to his chest as he shifted to position himself over the front of her body, his lips locked with hers, moving slowly as they tested each other's responses.

Itachi pulled back just slightly. His half-lidded eyes remained fixed on her mouth. Her parted lips were warm and moist and rosy again. He brought his mouth to hers once more, this time deeper, more deliberate. He slowly pressed her further against the tree and teased the tip of his tongue along the inside of her bottom lip.

Sakura responded with a breathy sigh and opened her mouth wider to deepen the kiss. He slanted his mouth over hers hungrily, his tongue gliding with hers. She arched into him and wound her arms around his shoulders. His damp fingers brushed against the back of her neck and sent a chill up her spine. All traces of cold were gone. There was only _this_. She let all thought drift away as she willingly surrendered.

Slowly he pulled back, and she made a small sound of protest as her lips chased after his and her head moved forward slightly. She opened her eyes dazedly and looked up at him. His expression was as passionate as hers, mixed with mild surprise as if he hadn't expected his own reaction. The tension between them built again, and Sakura felt like she needed to say something before she was completely overwhelmed.

"Itachi…" she breathed, panting slightly in the aftermath of their mind blowing kiss. His hand moved from the back of her neck to cup the side of her face, his thumb against her lips, moving slowly over her bottom lip. Another jolt of sensation ran through her as his rough thumb moved over her sensitized lips in stark contrast to the silky softness of his mouth.

Itachi watched his own actions with fascination, as though he wasn't the one in control of his movements. "Sakura," he murmured. He didn't continue with whatever he had begun to say, instead tilting her head toward his as he moved in for another kiss. But his lips had barely brushed hers when he stiffened and jerked away suddenly, looking sharply at the foliage-covered ground several yards away.

Sakura blinked and realized she'd heard it too; a light rustle and snapping sound. One of the forest creatures had been startled out from its hiding place, and she had only one guess as to why. They had been found.

Itachi's hand slid from her face to push against her sternum, a silent command to remain very still. They didn't hear anymore rustling. In fact, they didn't hear anything at all except the pattering of rain; the surrounding forest had gone eerily silent, a giveaway that something was wrong. Sakura slid her hands from around Itachi's neck slowly and silently. He looked at her pointedly before mouthing "_do not move_", and dropped silently to the ground below.

Itachi waited for their hidden foes to make a move. It wasn't long before three kunai flew at him from different directions. His body appeared to flicker and suddenly he was standing in a different spot than before, the kunai whizzing past and embedding themselves into the nearby trees.

Excitement built within Sakura as she watched. Not many people got to see Uchiha Itachi fight without having to worry about also _being_ his opponent.

Their positions compromised, the underbrush rustled as the masked enemies moved from their cover into the small clearing. There were eight of them. Despite their numbers, Itachi looked bored as he regarded the hunter nin. They closed in around him, not intending to fight one on one against such a dangerous opponent. Though they were hunters and should have known better, they disregarded rule number one when fighting an Uchiha. Sakura felt the static change in the air indicating a genjutsu had been cast, and two of the enemy nin turned and began fighting each other.

_Two down_, she thought grimly, though part of her was horrified at the prospect of two comrades, perhaps friends, unknowingly fighting each other to the death. The other six did nothing to counteract their companions, merely continued to advance upon their target, so Sakura figured she could probably rule out the possibility of them being friends after all.

The poor visibility and the white masks of the hunters made eye contact unlikely. Itachi had gotten lucky, and the two fighting had been stupid. He was unlikely to catch any of the others in a similar way. The hunters rushed him all at once, and she heard the sound of ringing steel as his sword was drawn an instant before he disappeared completely. He reappeared a moment later behind one of the enemy nin, the tip of his sword protruding from the man's chest amid a spray of dark blood. Then he flickered out of sight again. Itachi clearly didn't intend to play around here. If he'd already drawn his sword, he meant to kill quickly. The others were more cautious now as they realized what they were up against, and Sakura had a hard time keeping up with their movements, even from her aerial vantage point, as the battle began in earnest.

What she saw was nothing short of magnificent, and adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she watched an elite shinobi at his best. Off to the side, one of the illusion-trapped nin gained a gruesome and bloody defeat over his comrade and stumbled weakly as the genjutsu dissolved. When he saw what he'd done he let out a strangled cry and rushed Itachi in a rage. His anger made him careless, and Itachi was waiting for him, kicking his current opponent away and whirling around with cloak billowing to finish the panicked hunter off. Sakura watched in amazement as his head fell cleanly from his shoulders and rolled across the ground. With three of the eight hunters now dead, the Uchiha returned his attention to the previous opponent.

As Sakura watched the battle continue, she began to feel slightly torn. Even though he'd expressly told her to stay put, even though she shouldn't feel compelled to assist him and he didn't need her anyway, she still didn't feel right just standing on the sidelines. These hunters were enemies to them both, and if something unexpected happened and Itachi was defeated, they would find her and kill her as well. The inner conflict grew stronger as several shuriken flew at Itachi's back. He moved, but a few of them caught the back hem of his cloak and rent a tear in the fabric. That was a little too close for someone of his caliber, and she wondered with slight alarm if he'd somehow been injured. No one was perfect, and it was eight against one.

Itachi wasn't fighting to protect her, but to prevent the loss of his trump card. Sakura thought about what would happen if he was killed or incapacitated. The remaining hunters would kill or capture her. If they didn't, and she ran, the other Akatsuki would find her and things would not be so civil from now on. If they didn't find her either, she would be alone and lost in hostile territory. They were far to the north in Earth country, with the massive number of hunter nin on the move due to the Akatsuki presence. Sakura was unlikely to make it out alive. She frowned darkly as one of the hunters got a lucky strike and sliced his kunai across Itachi's shoulder, tearing the fabric and possibly even breaking skin before Itachi twisted away.

Making up her mind, Sakura drew a kunai from her holster and waited for an opportunity to strike. She got her opening when one of them came up behind Itachi intending to get in his blind spot. She flung her kunai with deadly precision, the force and speed enhanced by a small push of chakra, and it hit the nin directly in the back of his skull. She drew more weapons quickly as two of the hunters turned her way, spotted her after a moment and broke off in her direction.

Itachi glared at her sharply, and then returned to his dwindled opponents. It would be highly inconvenient if she got herself killed.

Sakura flung several shuriken at the advancing hunters as she leapt from the tree branch. Several of their own weapons were projected at her as she fell downward, and she pushed off from the trunk and leapt toward the opposite tree, again pushing off in yet another direction as she sent more weapons flying. She landed on the wet ground and rolled away as they bore down on her. She stopped in a crouch and slammed her chakra-infused fist into the ground. The wet earth opened before her in a wide rift, and her startled opponents scrambled to get out of the way. One of them succeeded and leapt to safety. The other stumbled and fell into the large muddy crack. Sakura rushed the entrenched nin, slamming her foot between his shoulder blades and pushing his face into the mud. The impact killed him instantly.

She looked up and saw Itachi watching her with wide-eyed interest. His two opponents were concurrently shocked, and he took the advantage of their distracted stares to drive his sword through the chest of one. Sakura refocused on her remaining attacker as he reappeared suddenly and swiped at her with his sword. She had no sword of her own and was forced to block and parry with a kunai in each hand. Thankfully she was fast and agile, or she would have lost to the difference in their ranges. As it was, she barely managed to avoid his deadly swing, and received a long, deep gash on her outer thigh. If she had been any slower or less dexterous he would have sliced clean into her exposed side. The jarring force of his downward strikes soon knocked the kunai from her hands and she was forced to jump away. He reached her again quickly and swung at her with deadly force. She dodged, barely, and got a lucky opening as his swing overreached and she was able to land a kick to one of his arms, breaking it. He growled and continued to swing his sword one-handed. Fortunately this cut his accuracy and power in half.

Her leg throbbed with searing pain and she was beginning to limp as they circled each other, the hunter slashing at her every few seconds. Her balance was failing, and she feared she would fall soon. Deciding on a gamble, she waited for his downward sweep and rushed him, grabbing onto his forearm and squeezing with all the power she could force into her fingers. His arm shattered with several loud cracks and he screamed, the blade falling from his limp fingers into a puddle. He tried to jerk away but she held fast with one arm, the other pulling back into a chakra-laced fist. He gasped behind the mask a second before her fist hit his chest, leaving a deep indent in his crushed torso. The faceless hunter nin collapsed to the wet ground with a choked wheezing sound, and was dead within seconds.

Sakura stared at the corpse, panting with fatigue and pain. She was a compassionate person by nature, but when it came down to her life or the enemy's, she would choose herself every time. That was the reality of the life she had chosen. After a moment she turned away.

Itachi finished off his last opponent as well, and stood among the bodies of his defeated enemies, their blood dripping from the tip of his unsheathed blade. It was a terrifying sight, Sakura moved to his side, trying to hide her injury. Of course that was futile, as she dripped blood on the ground with every step. She prepared herself for a scathing remark about how he'd told her to stay put and now she'd gotten herself injured from her own stupidity, but it never came. In fact, Itachi looked fairly impressed. She'd proven that she was not a hindrance or inconvenience, though she knew better than to expect gratitude for assisting him.

Looking at him more closely, she noticed he was unusually pale for just having been in a fight, and his brows were drawn together in a slight frown. "Are you alright?" she asked, lifting her arm halfway as if to touch him and then dropping it uncertainly.

Itachi nodded sternly, wiping the blood from his sword on the back of one of the dead hunters before sheathing it. They left the clearing. Sakura followed stiffly, the pain in her thigh growing more intense as the adrenaline began to wear off. They walked several feet before Itachi paused, his steps faltering slightly. A moment later he lost balance and stumbled to one knee.

Sakura immediately knelt beside him and grabbed his arm as his head bowed and he braced himself against the wet earth. She hadn't seen him take any hits that would injure him to the point of collapse. She placed her fingers against his neck firmly and pushed her chakra into him to feel for the source of the problem, and when she found it her eyes widened in alarm.

"You've been poisoned," she said with quiet urgency. Itachi didn't respond, but his fingers dug into the wet ground in either anger or pain. Her chakra probed for more information as she tried to figure out what to do. "It's a fairly fast acting one, but you'll be alright until we can get to somewhere safer," she reassured, still getting no reaction. He was conscious and responsive, but he was concentrating all effort into remaining upright and controlled.

Without waiting for any indication from him, she draped his arm over her shoulders and hauled him to his feet. Her thigh screamed in agony as she stood. He didn't protest, and actually tried to stand on his own so she wouldn't tear her injury further from strain. Fortunately he wasn't too heavy, and it only took a minimal amount of chakra to pull him up and get them both steady on their feet. He was able to put one foot in front of the other with mild difficulty as she supported his weight and guided them back to the road they'd crossed. Remembering that the gully continued on past the manmade fill-in, she led them toward it. Itachi stumbled on the slippery downslide, and her leg rent with pain as she was jerked downward and they landed roughly with their knees in the mud. Sakura laughed morosely at the miserable situation they were in, and shakily hauled them back to their feet. Itachi's arm over her shoulder was now gripping her tightly, his other hand clenched over his stomach, and he was beginning to breathe heavily as the poison spread through his body.

Sakura guided them carefully along the bank of the rushing creek, looking desperately for an overhang or outcropping along the walls where they would be somewhat sheltered. This side of the ravine was much deeper than the part they'd traveled before, and the mud walls soon turned to rock as they reached the bottom of the slope. Several yards into the bottom of the ravine she breathed a heavy sigh of relief and steered them toward a small cave. They stumbled through the dark opening, and Sakura flooded chakra to her hand and held it in front of them so she could see where she was walking as they stepped cautiously over rocks and debris. Itachi was rapidly losing his motor functions, beginning to trip and sag against her as she navigated them to the back of the cave. She was amazed he could still walk at all, and figured it was only due to sheer willpower.

She lowered him gently to the ground, making sure there were no jagged rocks or stagnant puddles under him. She crouched down, made a few hand seals and performed a simple fire jutsu Sasuke taught her years ago. It created a small ball of flame that suspended itself in midair—perfect for situations where there was no wood or the wood was too wet to light. It hovered next to them silently, offering small but adequate light and a little bit of warmth. Itachi looked at it and snorted, chuckling softly as he recognized his family technique.

Sakura winced painfully as she settled next to him on the cold rocky ground. Fortunately her wound wasn't critical and she could wait until she was finished with him to tend to it. In the low light of the small flame she could see how pale and drawn his features were, clammy sweat mingling with the dampness of rain. She slid her hands under his shirt and placed them flat against his chest. She sent her chakra into him again, searching for the main concentration of the poison, since it was a waste of time to look for the external injury. She located it fairly quickly and withdrew her chakra, then grasped his hand and pushed his sleeve away from his dirty knuckles, running her thumb over the back of his hand and removing some of the grit, making him hiss sharply at the pain of contact. She held his hand up for him to look at. There was a small, absurdly shallow scratch around three inches long on the back of his hand. It looked like a scratch from a mean old tomcat, if not for the inflamed redness and small vein-like marks spreading outward. He probably hadn't even felt it graze him. "Poisoned senbon," she said.

She could have sworn she saw him roll his eyes, and his lip curled in disgust as he looked away from his hand. "Ridiculous," he scoffed, quite unhappy and perhaps a tiny bit embarrassed that such a small and insignificant thing had literally brought him to his knees. Still, it was an incredibly toxic poison to have such an effect from only a tiny scratch, and he was very lucky the senbon hadn't pierced him or he may be beyond help, if not dead already.

Unfortunately it wasn't a toxin she had an antidote for, and she would need time to study its properties before she could heal him. She returned his hand to her lap, holding it firmly between her own. She was preparing to insert her chakra again when his other hand grabbed her wrist tightly, and when she looked at him he was frowning.

"Why did you bring me here, Sakura? Why didn't you run?"

"I told you I wouldn't," she said stiffly, and pushed probing chakra under the skin of his hand.

"The smart thing would have been to leave me to die and run away. You are a smart woman, Sakura, so what are you doing?" he asked again, his voice thick with pain he was trying to hide.

"You're wrong, Itachi. The smart thing would not have been to leave you and run. This is enemy territory for me as well, and the truth is I'm far better off with Akatsuki than I am with the Stone nin. Besides, wouldn't it be embarrassing if the great Uchiha Itachi died like _this_?"

His grip tightened to the point that it was painful. "When my brother comes for me, I will _kill_ him, Sakura. I will take the Kyuubi and leave Naruto a lifeless shell." His next words were only a whisper. "Sakura…_let me die_."

Sakura glared at him angrily, ignoring the bruising pain in her wrist. He was trying to goad her into not healing him, or even to kill him outright. He was almost pleading with her. Was he delirious, or did he really _want_ to die? She narrowed her eyes. "Not today, Uchiha. You don't get to take the easy way out."

He sighed harshly and removed his fingers from her wrist. "Stupid girl."

Sakura performed her research as quickly as possible. He was getting worse; his eyes were glazed over and he was growing feverish, small beads of sweat beginning to drip down his face and neck. "Turn the Sharingan off, it's putting too much strain on your body," she ordered quietly, and he did as asked before closing his eyes. It was a race against time. His breathing was becoming labored, and she closed her own eyes and frowned in concentration.

"Do you love my brother?"

Sakura's eyes flew open in surprise. Itachi's dark eyes were hazy and slightly unfocused. "Yes," she said softly. His eyes glinted darkly in the low light. "Though not in the way you mean. I thought so once, but I was very young."

"And now?"

_Why do you care?_ She carefully removed his scored hitai-ate, setting it aside and placing one of her hands against his brow. He was burning up, and was becoming slightly delirious from the pain and effects of the poison. "He is family," she answered calmly. "I would do anything to protect my family."

He frowned. "Even if they shun you? Even if they never acknowledge such devotion or return it with their own?"

She could tell by his tone that he wasn't taunting her; he really wanted to know. "Yes. Even if they hate me, because that is the love of family, Itachi. I pity you that you never knew it."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't care about your pity," he muttered darkly, signs of fever beginning to take their toll as he shifted uncomfortably.

"I know you don't. And I pity you all the more because you can't even comprehend what I'm really saying," she said sadly.

His sweat soaked body jerked a little and his lip curled, his eyes now filled with anger. "You know _nothing_ _about it_."

She raised a brow at his sudden vehemence, wondering if it was the fevered state, or if she had truly tapped a nerve. "You could tell me…" He snorted indignantly and looked away in to the darkness of the cave. "Ah! I've got it," she with quiet excitement, the glow of her hands fading as her chakra receded. "I'm going to begin the healing now. I have no way to extract the poison here, so I'm going to neutralize and break it down. Unfortunately this means your body is going to have to burn it off on its own with the fever, which will probably take the rest of the night, but once I'm done your life will no longer be in danger. You need to relax as much as possible, but try to remain awake." Without waiting for an answer, her chakra entered his body once more.

A few minutes passed, and Sakura couldn't help but think of his sensitive reaction to her words. "Tell me, Itachi," she began carefully, "do _you_ love your brother?"

He watched her face darkly, and his fever-glazed eyes seemed to have trouble staying open. "Yes," he whispered, and closed his eyes tiredly.

Sakura had expected his wrath again, not an honest answer, and certainly not one so _emotional_. It was the poison and the fever, she knew. He would never act like this if he were in complete control of himself. Keeping a steady flow of chakra in one hand, her other gently moved his damp hair out of his eyes. There was so much mystery to this man, so many things locked away and hidden from the outside world. He wasn't emotionless after all, but those emotions seemed to be trapped, burning intensely deep below the surface. What had happened to make him like this? What had been done to him?

She didn't like to take advantage of sick patients, if you could call him that, but she knew that if she was ever going to get a glimpse into the darkness of Itachi's mind, now was the time. She focused on the fact that in his delirious state he'd admitted to caring for Sasuke. "Then…why did you kill your clan and leave Sasuke to such a tormented and unhappy life?" Her cool fingers brushed against his heated skin.

Itachi sighed and his body jerked a little, his eyes unfocussed. He didn't answer for a long moment as he seemed to struggle with himself. "I did it…to save him…" he rasped, his brows creasing painfully.

_To save him?_ Small pieces began to click together in her mind. "Save him…from _what_?"

Itachi swallowed hard and his head fell to the side, a fine line of sweat running over his temple. The light from the small fire played over his pained features, and his clouded eyes stared unfocussed at the hovering flame. "From becoming…like _me_," he whispered, and his eyes slid closed as he finally lost consciousness.

Sakura stared at his damp, sleeping face in shock, finally beginning to understand. To save Sasuke…from becoming another Itachi. From becoming another desensitized killing machine. To save him from losing his mind. Sakura was horrified. The Uchiha clan had made Itachi into what he was, and Itachi had eradicated them all before the same thing could happen to his brother.

When she'd said she pitied him for never knowing the love of family, she had no idea how close she hit to the truth. His heated reaction was perfectly understandable. Her eyes stung, but she would not cry for this man however tragic his past. It wasn't as if he'd left Konoha to live the life of a hermit. He had done plenty in the years since to cement himself as a true villain.

A small part of her was almost morbidly grateful that his twisted actions had spared Sasuke from the horrible conditioning he would have gone through, making him a completely different person; a monster like his brother. No, that wasn't right. Itachi wasn't a monster. In fact he was very human if he could rationalize what he'd done as love. A monster wouldn't have cared, wouldn't have thought to spare Sasuke from the same fate. She could see how his warped mind allowed him to think that what he'd done was out of love, but what was his reasoning for the horrible things he'd done to Sasuke since then?

_Let me die_….

It had sounded suspiciously like a plea. That would explain why he'd taken so many measures to ensure Sasuke would never rest until he got revenge. Sakura didn't know if Itachi was even capable of guilt or regret, but he knew that Sasuke _deserved_ revenge, and that he himself _deserved_ to die. And he wanted it to be by his brother's hand, so he made sure that Sasuke would become strong enough and hate him enough to do it. It made sense. It _all_ made sense, and Sakura was filled with deep sorrow and anger that fate could twist the lives of people so cruelly.

She worked in silence now that Itachi was unconscious, her mind and heart in turmoil. She'd fervently advocated that everything she was doing was for the people she loved. She believed it wholeheartedly when she said it, but now she felt strangely hollow. She'd healed Deidara's arm. She'd healed Itachi's eyes. Now she was saving Itachi's life. Did she even know why she was doing it anymore, really? She let Itachi kiss her, reciprocated eagerly. She'd wanted even more. That was for no one but herself. Was the rest of it, in reality, as selfish as that kiss? She honestly didn't know anymore. What she'd discovered tonight made things even more complicated and confusing.

Sakura noted satisfactorily that Itachi was no longer thrashing about and that his skin had returned to a healthy color, if somewhat flushed from fever. She shifted to get better access to the gash on her thigh. She healed it quickly, on the verge of passing out, using up nearly all of her remaining chakra. She reached into her pack and brought out her cloak, pulling it around her shoulders. Itachi's fever would burn out during the remainder of the night, but until then he would need to be kept warm. She thought for a moment about just closing up his own cloak and leaving it at that, but she knew she was only thinking that way because it was _him_ and that it wasn't what she would do as a medic in any other circumstance.

Making sure to keep the small fireball burning, she carefully leaned over the unconscious Uchiha and laid the upper half of her body atop his, her head resting below his chin as her arms tucked around his sides, making sure her cloak covered both of them as much as possible. Physically drained and mentally exhausted, she closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

A soft crunching sound disturbed the silence of the cave, but not the two sleeping figures slumped on the cold ground. The early morning light barely penetrated the back recesses of the small cavern, faintly illuminating two cloaked figures as their boots scraped over the loose stone and they came to a stop several feet from the unconscious occupants.

Kisame and Deidara took in the sight before them and then looked at each other wide-eyed. After defeating the Stone nins, the three scraped and slightly battered Akatsuki had soon found the sight of Itachi and Sakura's battle. After briefly inspecting the scene they were able to roughly deduce what had happened and followed a blood trail, whose blood they didn't know, to this cave. They were expecting to find the two of them, but they definitely hadn't expected _this_.

"What the…" the shark muttered under his breath. "I'll be damned," His toothy smirk was present as usual, but was now paired with a slight frown.

Deidara was somber. "Hn," he grunted, narrowing his eyes at the sleeping pair.

Sakura was beginning to stir slightly at their presence, but Itachi remained unconscious and still, and that was when they realized something wasn't right with him. With respective expressions of amazement and suspicion, they moved forward to wake their discovered companions.


	11. Nobody Loves No One

**Perception**

Chapter Eleven: Nobody Loves No One

* * *

Sakura crouched down atop the massive boulder, balancing easily with a small bit of chakra, and pulled her thin cloak tighter around her chilled body. Kisame and Deidara stood on either side of her, looking off in different directions. Deidara scanned the surrounding area with his scope.

The Akatsuki were currently trying to decide where to go from here.

They left the cave and the forest early that morning, and traveled the entire day before anyone felt comfortable stopping. Sakura watched the setting sun and shivered as an icy gust of wind blew past and whipped her tangled hair across her face. They were several miles across the border, in a country Sakura didn't know the name of—a country with no shinobi and no hidden villages.

It was also a damned cold one. It was still early autumn, and though the weather hadn't turned yet the air was cold, and the winds of the rocky countryside were even colder. She considered climbing back down to the base of the rock so the massive stone could shield her from the cold gusts, but stubbornly decided against it. If the others were fine, then so was she. Besides, the view from up here was beautiful in the dying light. She saw Tobi several feet below scrambling across the jutting rocks that littered the earth in all directions, and he looked up at them and hollered something that was carried away by the wind. Kisame grunted and began to hop down the rock face to go see what he wanted. From her crouched position, Sakura turned her head and looked up at Deidara.

He didn't look at her, but he'd noticed her watching him, among other things. "Cold?"

"A little."

He smiled at her obvious white lie. "You know, winter comes early in this part of the world, and the farther north we go the colder it's gonna get. That cloak of yours isn't made for a climate like this. You should get a new one, yeah."

Sakura stood up next to him in defiance of the cold. "I'll live," she muttered.

"Maybe," he said with a shrug. "You're the medic, so I guess you'd know more about those things than I do."

She made a noncommittal sound and watched Kisame and Tobi talking below. Where Itachi was at the moment, she didn't know, and she grumpily brushed thoughts of him aside. "We're going to find somewhere to stop soon, right?"

"I hope so," he said irritably, as unhappy as Sakura about the current situation, even if he was somewhat warmer than the kunoichi. He saw her shiver again, pulling her arms tighter to her small frame. "If you're _that_ damn cold…you can wear mine. At least until we get out of the open, anyway."

Sakura stared at him in surprise. He was offering his cloak? That was…she didn't know what to think about that. He'd said it gruffly, like she was simply annoying him with her constant shivering and he just wanted her to stop. But she was getting used to his ways, and she knew better. She smiled softly at him, and he looked away at the horizon uncomfortably. It was very tempting, but she couldn't. It was an Akatsuki cloak. It was stained in blood and evil deeds and she wouldn't feel right wearing it. "Thank you, but I can't do that. Anyway, I'll be fine once we start moving again."

He nodded faintly; he hadn't expected her to accept. "Why are you so stubborn all the time, hm?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are _you_?"

"Hn." He pursed his lips with wry amusement and returned to scanning the distance.

Sakura watched his profile quietly. Occasionally the sounds of his scope zooming in and out could be heard over the rushing wind. His long blond hair had been pulled free from his cloak and flowed out over his back and shoulders, the long forelock swept away from his eye for once to reveal his face. There was just one problem…

She carefully reached out to touch him on the cheek and he started, turning his head in her direction as his visible blue eye went wide. Sakura smiled and kept her hand where it was, index finger tracing the cold metal edge of the scope. "I've never seen your entire face," she said. "Can you take this off for a moment?"

He gave her a strange look, but after a moment he reached up and carefully removed the scope, revealing his face to her.

Sakura's smile widened to a grin as she got her first real look at Deidara's face. She wasn't sure what to expect under that scope and curtain of hair; a scar or deformation, a missing eye, something that would require covering. But there was nothing of the sort, and she was pleased by how completely _normal_ he looked…and how handsome. His almond shaped eye was the same pale blue color as the other one, though slightly bloodshot from using the scope. With his whole face revealed she could really see how young he was; he couldn't be more than a few years older than her.

Deidara was a little discomfited by how openly she was beaming at him, the way her eyes sparkled as they studied his revealed face, and he actually blushed faintly, which made her smile widen. He couldn't help but return her smile then, and Sakura felt a tiny little flutter inside at the very attractive change in him when he smiled a real smile.

As they stood together and watched the sun settle into the horizon, Sakura was aware of everything in amazing detail; Deidara's handsome, serene face, his long pale hair blowing in the cold wind and catching the last rays of sunlight, the deep orange glow of the vanishing day and the beautiful view of the endless rock-strewn moor. All of it would be forever fixed in her mind.

This little unplanned moment that stood outside time would stay with her, as if she'd taken a picture, for the rest of her life. She had a feeling it would for Deidara as well. In this moment, they were happy.

A few minutes later the glow faded and dusk set in. Another gust of wind made Sakura shiver. She really hoped they left soon, because now that the sun was down it was about to get very cold. Kisame waved at them to come down. His lips were moving but she couldn't make out anything he said from up here. They climbed down the steep slope and joined Kisame and Tobi at the bottom. A moment later Itachi appeared from wherever he had been, as if he was somehow clued in to when they were all coming to regroup.

Sakura's peaceful mood faltered a little at the sight of him. He hadn't said a word to her and had barely glanced in her direction all day. She knew he was disturbed by everything that happened last night; the kiss that might have turned to more if they weren't interrupted, the poisoning and the fact that such a silly and ignoble thing had almost put an end to him, and most importantly the incredible revelation given unintentionally in his feverish state. Sakura was freaked out too, but this complete shutout was unnecessary. How much did he remember anyway? He certainly remembered waking up with half her body draped over his chest, that's for sure. That moment had been a little tense and uncomfortable for all of them after they were woken by Deidara and Kisame, who must have questions they couldn't ask about just what the hell had happened in that cave. Itachi acting this way was not helping to alleviate their suspicions.

She glanced at the Uchiha, and as expected he ignored her completely. He was still slightly pale, the shadows beneath his eyes darker than usual, and he was probably a little dehydrated from burning out a fever and then running all day, but other than that he seemed fine. Except for the attitude.

"Well?" Deidara asked once the five of them were all clustered together.

"Tobi found a town about five miles northwest of here," Tobi informed, speaking in third person as he did on occasion, usually when he was trying to earn praise or get out of trouble.

"Apparently it's the only town around for miles," Kisame added.

Deidara nodded. "Yeah, this country's pretty sparsely populated. Most of it is wilderness."

"Well, we may as well stop in the town for a couple days. We need to resupply anyway," Kisame reasoned.

"Not to mention it's fucking _freezing_ out here, and the temperature's dropping fast," Deidara grumbled as a strong gust of wind blew over them. He glanced briefly at the kunoichi, who was holding her cloak too tightly to her chest to even move her tangled, windblown hair out of her face. "Let's get going, yeah."

Sakura gave him a look of silent gratitude as they readjusted their packs and pulled their cloaks tighter before heading out across the moor.

* * *

The four Akatsuki and their unrestrained hostage arrived in the small village just after nightfall. Sakura was pleased to find this town was the total opposite of the last one they'd been in. It was clean and quiet, showed no signs of significant crime, and was entirely civilian. She doubted anyone here had even heard of Akatsuki. In other words, it was safe to stay here for a few days at least. The thought was comforting to Sakura because it meant that her teammates would have more time to find their scattered trail and catch up again.

Unfortunately, people like them stuck out in a town like this. They had to be careful of how blatantly they made their presence known. Surprisingly, it was Sakura who earned the most curious looks from passing citizens. Aside from her hair color which always got attention, the fact that she was not wearing typical women's clothing, was carrying weapons, and was in excellent physical condition made her quite an oddity to the simple townsfolk who had obviously never seen a kunoichi before. Not to mention she was the only female in a group of dangerous looking, heavily armed men that had a tendency to glare at and intimidate anyone who looked their way.

The town was old, and much of the architecture and conveniences were still from a time before Sakura was born. She imagined this place must be what things had looked like when her shishou was a child. There were even paper lanterns lining the streets, not as ambient decorations, but as a real light source. It was actually rather charming.

They found a suitable inn without much effort. It was traditional and dated like everything else, but it was spacious and clean. The interior smelled faintly of fresh pine, and when a little old woman came shuffling out of the back room and bowed in greeting, Sakura smiled; this would _definitely_ be better than last time.

"Good evening sirs," the elderly woman greeted kindly, and when she saw Sakura her smile widened, "and lady. Welcome to Kanna. I am Kaede, the matron of this inn." She bowed again. It wasn't clear if Kanna was the name of the inn or the town itself. "I see you are not from around here, and it appears you have had difficult travel. Do you require rooms?" Sakura could see she was appraising their rough appearances, but had too much etiquette to show her thoughts outwardly.

"We do," Itachi answered, much more politely than he'd talked to the shady—and now dead—innkeeper in the previous town.

"How many will you require, sir?" Her glance at Sakura didn't go unnoticed. Apparently this town was old-fashioned in more ways than one.

"We will need three rooms, next to each other, with doors connecting the outer two to the middle. Are you able to accommodate us in that way?"

The old woman thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I can provide just such an arrangement." She went about making preparations behind the desk.

Itachi must have already known an inn of this style would have a room setup like that, and that was why he picked it. Sakura assumed she would be put in the middle room with two Akatsuki on either side connected by doors. At least she'd be getting her own room this time.

The matron returned a moment later with the room keys and some paperwork. "May I ask a name for the records, sir?"

Itachi gave the old woman a small smile, and Sakura swore she saw a blush appear on her wrinkled cheeks.

"The truth is, madam, this is a matter of great discretion. You see, the beautiful lady here is the daughter of a great nobleman, who is our employer, and he has charged us with her protection," he said smoothly.

The old woman's eyes went wide and she looked at Sakura, who caught on quickly and tried her best to look 'noble' through her tangled hair and dirty, torn clothes.

Itachi continued in his velvety voice, instantly grabbing the matron's attention again. "We are traveling in secret so that our lord's enemies will not attempt to use his daughter against him. The lady is very important to us, and we must not allow her to come to any harm. I'm sure you can understand, madam, and we will of course compensate you well for your discretion during our stay."

Itachi was the perfect person for dealing with a situation like this, with his ingrained etiquette and soft way of speaking, a fact that was illustrated perfectly when the little old woman nodded and smiled from ear to ear. "Of course, of course! I understand perfectly," she said, excited to be part of such intrigue. Once again, the hotel's logbook disappeared unsigned below the counter. The matron turned to Sakura and bowed. "I apologize for keeping you, my lady. I'm sure you must be tired from your journey." Sakura smiled and tried to look dignified and magnanimous. The matron looked at Itachi again. "I will have the rooms prepared immediately, sir. Would you like meals brought up once you have settled?"

"Please," Itachi said. The old woman shuffled off to get their rooms ready.

Sakura almost laughed. It was ridiculous how he so masterfully twisted his little story with bits and pieces of the truth. As sinister and dangerous as he was, he could apparently still charm the pants off of anyone when he wanted to. The other Akatsuki were impressed with his brilliant improvisation as well, and a few murmurs went around about how this would be a nice break for a change. In addition to getting out of putting any names in the logbook, they would now receive the absolute privacy and discretion accorded to 'nobility' for the remainder of their stay.

But the one thing that latched onto Sakura's mind about the performance was the fact that he had called her beautiful. The embellishment was unnecessary, yet he'd added it anyway. It made her slightly giddy, and she mentally chided herself for thinking like a silly teenager. He still wouldn't look at or talk to her, so it was best not to put too much thought into offhanded comments. Although, Itachi never made offhanded comments…

She shook herself mentally and was relieved when the matron appeared and bowed again, lower now that she thought she was in the presence of aristocracy. She informed them that their quarters were ready, and gestured for them to follow.

* * *

"Do you think this place looks good?" Sakura wondered, assessing the front of the small shop.

"I don't know. Looks good enough to me, yeah," Deidara replied with an indifferent shrug.

They entered the little shop, a small tinkling bell announcing them. An elderly shopkeeper came out from behind a curtain in the back and bowed politely, telling them to ask if they needed assistance. Deidara brushed him off with barely a glance, but Sakura had a bit more manners and thanked him quietly as she followed her companion to the back of the store.

Because of the nature of this town—the kind that didn't see many travelers, where everyone was completely normal and boring—they had to keep a low profile. All of them had unique and remarkable appearances, but certain members of their little group were a bit _too_ unique to parade around town. Tobi wore a strange mask covering his entire face, and Kisame was, well…_blue_. Itachi looked fairly normal, aside from his speckled, scarlet eyes, but he had a dark aura about him that tended to put people on edge. So that left Deidara, who could, when he wanted to, appear to be just another regular, handsome young man on the street. So he was designated as the one to take care of their supply needs this morning while the rest of them lurked around the inn and did…whatever it was they did during the day.

Sakura had managed to finagle her way into tagging along with the explosives master so she could get some new clothes. She had nothing else to change into anymore, and her pants now had a large slash in the thigh. She wondered sourly why none of the Akatsuki seemed to wear out their clothes as fast as she did. Of course the men had spares, but their pack weren't that big. Maybe those cloaks concealed more than she realized.

It certainly did in Deidara's case, and she just couldn't get over the sight of him without it. He'd left it behind at the inn as a precaution, and was wearing only a long sleeved shirt and pants. He'd also had to leave his scope and clay pouches behind, which he was _not_ happy about. But Kisame had cleverly pointed out that surely there was nothing in this town Deidara couldn't take care of with a few kunai…so Deidara couldn't find an argument that didn't make his ordinary skills seem less than competent and in the end the pouches were left behind.

Just as she'd noted with Itachi, those bulky cloaks masked all sorts of stuff about the wearer. Deidara was about the same height as Itachi, and although he was also lean, he wasn't as wiry. Due to being a long range fighter, his muscles were defined but not bulky. She was reminded of Sai, who was also a long range fighter—they were almost the exact height and build. Sakura suddenly wondered what Deidara would look like in a belly-shirt like the one her teammate used to wear, and the mental image made her giggle.

Deidara looked back over his shoulder. "What?"

Sakura tried to straighten her face. "Oh…nothing," she evaded, and he gave her another strange look before turning around.

They talked casually while they shopped. In reality Sakura was a captive and Deidara was her watchful guard, but from the outside they looked like friends. It was strange and disconcerting for Sakura. She liked spending time with Deidara, and more unnerving still, she liked Deidara himself. As a person. He was a criminal with twisted moral judgment, and he was also sort of a lunatic when provoked far enough. But she liked him anyway. She also sort of liked Kisame, and Tobi, and even…well, she didn't want to think about _that_ at the moment.

She didn't want to like them, didn't want to humanize her captors. It was just happening. And if her intuition was correct, they were beginning to like her as well, in their own individual ways. Truthfully it was no longer possible for her to regard any of them as the monsters their reputations made them out to be. They were human; they all had feelings, and they all had qualities that were likeable as well as unlikable. They had troubled, complicated pasts that had led them to where they were today, and it wasn't all about greed and ambition or just being evil. None of them were one-dimensional, and it had been wrong of her to assume so, just as they had wrongly assumed about her.

This was so screwed up. They planned to hurt her loved ones. They would kill them if they got the chance. They might even kill her too if it came down to it. Sakura would do no differently. So why was this happening? Why was she developing this camaraderie with her supposed enemies? Even making out with Itachi in a tree the night before last wasn't as troubling as this, because in that situation she could at least chalk it up to lust. After all, Itachi was incredibly attractive and he'd been teasing her for days. But this? This harmonious existence with her kidnappers, where they shared meals and conversations and personal stories, where they barely kept watch over her anymore and she never thought of running? What did this all mean?

Sakura heard her name and realized Deidara had been speaking to her. She snapped back to herself and found that they were standing near the exit and were about to leave. Apparently she'd been so caught up in her thoughts that for the last few minutes she'd been following Deidara around blindly. "Oh…huh?"

Deidara stared at her impatiently, his eyes narrowed slightly. "I _said_…didn't you say you needed clothes?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry…I was just thinking."

"Well let's go, then. I saw a clothes store down the street. I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry." They walked out into the street, the bell tinkling as they left. They passed several vendor stalls and shop fronts before he spoke again. "Must've been some pretty heavy thoughts to make you tune out like that."

She smiled wryly. "You have no idea."

"Well, try not to get so distracted next time. I won't catch you if you trip on something. I'll let you fall on your face, and then I'll laugh, yeah."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Such a sweetheart."

Deidara gave her a boyish, lopsided grin that she found completely adorable, despite the fact that he was currently in being an ass. "Always."

She smiled, and even went so far as to swat him on the arm, which made him laugh.

Sakura managed to find a few passable items of clothing—all men's, since around here women tended to wear dresses and not skintight flexible ninja apparel. At least she wouldn't freeze to death now; she'd gotten a sweater as well as long-sleeved shirts and pants. However, she fumed indignantly upon finding that she couldn't get a heavier cloak because _no one_ in this town sold traveling cloaks, since hardly anyone traveled. All they sold were bulky winter coats that were completely useless for a ninja. So she emitted a string of curses, completely forgetting she was supposed to be a noblewoman, and settled on a long, emerald green scarf to wrap around herself and at least keep her head warm.

#

They returned to the inn and had lunch with the others in Kisame and Itachi's room. The food here was much better than the greasy takeout they had been eating up until this point. Just like before, Itachi wasn't there to eat with them. Apparently he could get as moody and broody as his younger brother when he wanted to, and had been spending most of the time off alone somewhere, and even Kisame didn't know where he was.

Sakura was pretty damned sure she knew what all the brooding was about, and as soon as she saw him again she was going to give him a piece of her mind for acting like a sullen teenager. Not that he would care or listen, but she was determined to put a stop to his pretending she wasn't there. She spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around between three rooms, doing next to nothing, talking idly with her various guards as they came and went.

Itachi finally made an appearance shortly after dinner. She looked up at him from the card game she and Kisame had been playing—for fun only since he refused to bet with her after the drinking incident—but he completely ignored her presence again. She frowned at his back and returned to the game.

Several minutes later, Sakura lost. Kisame grinned smugly and stretched his arms above his head. "Well, there you go, princess. Maybe we should have bet something after all."

Sakura was tempted to point out that it was merely dumb luck since he would only play games of chance and not games of logic because he knew she was smarter than him. And why was he still calling her princess?

Still grinning, Kisame slid his chair back and stood up. "Good game. I'll be back later," he said to no one in particular. and left the room, sliding the panel shut behind him.

Sakura reshuffled the cards and returned them to their case before looking up at the room's remaining occupant. Itachi had removed his cloak and placed it over a chair, and was reading a scroll that apparently contained very little of interest from his bored stance and expression. Now that they were actually alone, she wasn't sure exactly how to bring up the subject of the tension between them. But, this was _his_ room and he wasn't going to leave it on her account, and she may not get another chance like this so she needed to take it.

"Itachi. Why are you avoiding me?"

Their eyes met for the first time in two days, and the intensity of it sent a jolt right through her. "What a foolish idea."

She gave him a shrewd look, not buying his detachment. "You_ have_ been avoiding me, ever since that night in the woods. Don't talk to me as if I'm stupid. You've done nothing but watch me and play games with me for days, and now you won't even look my direction."

His expression darkened a little, proof that her words had affected him. "Perhaps I no longer find you interesting."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin stiffly at his obvious lie. Oh, his tone was convincing enough, but she had felt very acutely how _un_-true that statement really was the other night. "You find me a little _too_ interesting, is more like it," she countered. His eyes narrowed at her accurate observation, but he didn't deny it.

"Is it because you kissed me?" she asked quietly. "I kissed you back, remember? I'm as freaked out as you are, but I'm not hiding from what happened." She saw his jaw clench slightly, and knew she was getting somewhere. "Or is it because you almost died from something stupid and I was the one to save your life? Because you were vulnerable in front of me? Or…is it because I know the truth about why you killed your clan and what you want from Sasuke." His eyes narrowed. _Bingo_. She sighed tiredly. "I'm not going to tell anyone your dirty little secret, Itachi. Stop avoiding me so I can finish healing your eyes."

Itachi looked away to the corner of the room, thinking over her words. "Not even my brother?" he asked after a moment.

"Do you want me to tell him?"

"No," he admitted quietly.

If Sasuke knew the truth, he may not be able to hate his brother enough to kill him. "I understand. Then…I'll tell him after your dead," she said evenly. She didn't think she'd get a chance to talk to Sasuke before this was all over anyway.

Itachi met her gaze and gave her a small, accepting nod, for the first time not commenting about how that would never happen. After a long, quiet moment, he spoke again. "Would you like to finish working on my eyes now?"

Itachi sat on his bed, and Sakura walked over and sat next to him. Instead of asking him to lay down again, she simply tucked a leg underneath her and shifted her body at an angle toward his. He shifted as well, and she reached up and removed his scratched out hitai-ate and set it on the bed. When she met his eyes again they were dark. She placed her fingertips at his temples, brushing the stray strands of dark hair aside, and began to heal.

They didn't speak as she worked, and though it only took about half an hour to finish, she felt the lingering tension between them shift and fluctuate with every passing minute. It was like a magnetic pull, but it was so strange and forbidden that it made her want to fight against it at the same time. When the healing was complete, she removed her hands from his temples and smiled satisfactorily. He activated the Sharingan and scanned the details of the room.

"Just remember that the more you use it—the Mangekyou especially—the faster it will deteriorate again," she said. His eyes slowly swirled into ebony. "Besides," she added softly, "they're much prettier this way." Without thinking, she reached up and gently brushed his dark hair away from his eyes with her fingertips.

Itachi watched her with an unreadable expression, but after a moment his eyes hardened. "I am not my brother."

Sakura lowered her hand in surprise. Did he think her attraction to him was because he looked like Sasuke? That she was projecting onto him because she couldn't have the other brother? That couldn't be further from the truth. Even at the height of her obsession with Sasuke, his touch, his gaze, his very nearness had never made her feel the way she felt with Itachi. She couldn't believe Itachi thought so, or that he would even care if it _was_ true.

She shook her head and gave him a small, ironic smile. "No, you're not. I've never once thought that. I had a misplaced crush on him when we were kids, but I realized a long time ago that it was never real. I never felt this…"

She trailed off, afraid to finish. She'd come dangerously close to saying something she was still afraid to admit to herself. Sakura nervously held her breath as Itachi's dark eyes stared into hers, weighing both the said and unsaid. Then in one smooth movement, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her.

A tiny voice in the back of her mind cried weakly that this was wrong, that this was her enemy's kiss she was indulging in. The voice drifted away like smoke as she abandoned all thought and responded, sighing breathlessly into his mouth as his fingers threaded into her hair. She leaned closer and brought her hands up to hold his face, returning his kiss hungrily. This kiss was harder than the first, full of fire and possession as he tilted her head and slanted his mouth more fully against hers, lips demanding, as if taking her very essence with his mouth. His intensity frightened her a little, yet she responded in kind. Itachi pulled her closer until she was nearly in his lap. He slid his fingers through her hair, removing her hitai-ate and tossing it aside. She caught his lower lip between her teeth, sucking gently.

Itachi gave a low growl and pulled her flush against him, kissing her deeply and lowering himself backwards until he was lying on the bed with her atop him. His hands moved to her waist again, palms and fingers pressing firmly as they roamed up and down her back. Sakura pressed her body against his, and was just forming the thought of moving her leg over his and straddling him when his hands slid lower and firmly cupped her rear before he threw his leg atop hers and rolled her beneath him.

Itachi pressed her into the mattress, pushing one of his thighs between hers. His fingers wove into her hair and pulled, tilting her head back to give him access to her throat while his other hand slid under the hem of her shirt, calloused fingers teasing lightly over her skin, making her insides flutter. His hand moved slowly upward, paused just below the edge of her bra. When his hand cupped over her breast she sighed in pleasure. He slowly kissed his way back up her exposed throat until his mouth hovered just above hers, his lust clouded eyes watching her intently as he slowly and firmly rubbed the calloused pad of his thumb over her nipple through the thin fabric. She sighed raggedly and threw her head back, hips rising into his instinctively. He smirked before pushing his hips hard against hers and capturing her mouth again to muffle the resulting moan. One hand grabbed the back of her thigh and lifted it higher as the fingers of the other began to slip under her bra—

They both heard the sound of the shoji panel sliding open.

Itachi's entire body tensed above her, and Sakura closed her eyes tightly, desperately hoping it was just the cleaning lady, but knowing full well they weren't that lucky. She felt a curious mixture of embarrassment at being caught, and frustration at having to stop. Itachi must have been as caught up as she was to not have noticed an outside presence either. He slowly and carefully moved off her, and had enough presence of thought to discreetly pull her shirt back down over her stomach as he removed his hand, which she would be eternally grateful for. He stood up casually, without looking at her, and Sakura rolled to a sitting position as she gathered the courage to open her eyes and face the intruder.

Kisame stood there with his mouth agape. The partners stared each other down for an agonizingly long moment, neither moving nor saying a word. Finally, Itachi grabbed his cloak from the back of the chair and threw it on in one swift motion, fixing one last cold glare on the shark nin and striding out of the room. Kisame shifted aside to let him pass.

Those astonished silver eyes fixed on her now. Sakura willed the flush from her face, smoothed her tousled hair, and met his stare with as much poise and boldness as she could muster. She didn't ask him why he'd walked in or what he wanted; it was his room too and he had no reason to expect to find something like _that_ going on. He watched her curiously, wondering, for a long minute.

When he finally spoke, his tone was guarded and deliberately casual. "We're leaving tomorrow, and we won't be near any towns again, so we're all heading downstairs to have a few drinks and relax. You wanna go?"

Sakura breathed a faint sigh and nodded, standing up and straightening her clothes. "Yeah. I'll be out in a minute," she said quietly, heading for her own room through the adjoining panel. Kisame's eyes followed her curiously as she went. She closed her eyes tight against the nerves racing through her. Yeah. She _definitely _needed a strong drink.

* * *

Kisame slumped his chair, fumbling with his deck of cards and making a sloppy, drunken attempt to shuffle them as he waited for Deidara to return. He glanced over at Tobi, who'd fallen on the bed the moment they came back to the room and was now passed out snoring.

What was taking Deidara so damn long? How long did it take to drop one tiny, passed out kunoichi on her bed and come back? The four of them had a good time relaxing and drinking and telling jokes in the lounge. But something had been off about Sakura. She'd been overly animated and eager to participate in their conversation, as if she was distracting herself or trying to put on an act, but then she'd get unusually quiet and withdrawn during moments where no one was speaking. And she drank. A lot. And this time she hadn't handled it well for some reason and became very, very drunk to the point where she'd fallen asleep right there at the table.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was wrong with her, especially after what he'd walked in on.

When they'd had enough and decided to go back to their rooms, Deidara had picked her up gently and carried her upstairs, and was currently putting her in her own bed. Something was weird there too, but the shark couldn't quite put his finger on it. Analyzing made his head hurt. He heard a soft shuffling, and out of the corner of his eye saw Deidara enter through the connecting door from Sakura's room and slide the panel shut quietly. "Did you tuck the princess in all nice and cozy?" he jibed.

Deidara glared at him and began to remove his cloak. "Fuck off," he said irritably.

Kisame chuckled. "Don't get pissy. I just think it's funny that you were such a gentleman to carry her like that."

"So what, I'm supposed to sling her over my shoulder like a sack of rice? I'm not a complete asshole _all_ the time."

The shark grunted noncommittally. "Game?"

Deidara glanced over at the shark, noting the laid out cards and the bottle of sake he'd managed to smuggle upstairs. "Sure," he said flatly, taking the opposite chair. He poured himself a cup from the open bottle. "Besides, there was something wrong with her tonight."

Kisame started to deal. "It's Itachi."

"What did he do to her this time?" Deidara asked, voice taking on a slight edge.

_More like what they were doing to each other_. Kisame debated for a moment whether or not to tell. "There's something going on between them," he said carefully.

Deidara's eyes narrowed and his mouth turned downward in a frown. "What do you mean?"

Kisame looked up from his cards and met the other man's eyes. "I walked in on them earlier tonight."

"_What?" _

"Mhm. Making out like a couple of horny teenagers." The shark poured himself another cup and downed it.

"Where's Itachi now?"

"On the roof, I think. But I wouldn't bother him about it if I were you. Probably shouldn't bring it up to her either just yet."

Deidara's scowl deepened and he looked at the door of the sleeping kunoichi's room. "I wasn't planning on it. It's just…how the fuck did _this_ happen? She was scared shitless of him a week ago. You don't think he…"

"Itachi doesn't do things like that," Kisame cut him off. "He won't even pay for a woman. Doesn't need to I suppose." He shrugged.

"So then what? Is this some kind of game he's playing? Some twisted way to fuck his brother over once and for all?"

"Fuck if I know, man. According to Sakura, the little runt Uchiha doesn't have feelings for her and vice versa, so I can't see how this is about him."

Deidara shook his head in dismay. "So you think they're really into each other, then? Or does he just want to…I mean she _is_ really hot…but Itachi doesn't seem like the type to bother with women."

"He's not. In all the years we've worked together there've only been a handful of times I can remember him seeking out a woman's company, and it was just for…well, you know how it is. I don't know what the hell _this_ is about. I've never seen him like this. Not once, and we've been partners for over ten years." He shook his head.

Deidara's frown deepened. "This could be bad, yeah. For the mission, for her, for everyone involved."

Kisame nodded. "Yep."

The two were quiet for a few minutes as they continued their game. After a while, Deidara shook his head again. "Uchiha…that guy…he doesn't deserve someone like her," he muttered darkly.

Kisame raised his brows and smirked. "And you do?"

He glared across the table. "I didn't mean it like that, asshole. But _no_. I wouldn't either. No one like us deserves someone like her. She's got so much fire and spirit, and she's still so pure of heart…so untainted by the shit we've seen and done. I think that's probably what draws our kind to someone like her, like creatures of darkness drawn to fire, remaining forever out of reach. And someone like Itachi…who sees no beauty, feels no joy or appreciation for anything other than himself…he really doesn't deserve to reach for that flame."

Kisame chuckled. "There you go waxing poetic again. Sounds to me like you're just a tad bit jealous," he said, smirking toothily.

"Don't be stupid. Anyway, don't act like she hasn't had some effect on _you_ too."

Kisame shrugged. "I'll admit I like the girl. She's smart, makes good jokes, and she ain't some sniveling little damsel. I'll even admit I wouldn't like it if she ended up dead at the end of all this. Too bad she's one of the good guys," he said almost wistfully.

"I think if she wasn't, that special fire wouldn't burn so bright anymore." Deidara frowned. "Whatever's going on around here, it's probably gonna end badly, yeah."

"I agree." Kisame's eyes flicked to his brooding companion. Deidara seemed to be taking this rather personally. How interesting. He looked at his cards again and grinned sadistically before laying them out on the table for the other man to see.

"Looks like you lose."

* * *

When Sakura woke the next morning her first thought was to find out who hit her in the head with a hammer and break their arms. Then she remembered that her head was throbbing because she'd gotten wasted and passed out in the bar. Then she remembered _why_ she'd gotten wasted, and her eyes flew open in mortification.

_Bad idea!_ She groaned audibly and threw her arm over her face as the morning light stabbed through her bloodshot eyes. Moaning in self pity, she lay on her stomach with her face in the pillow and carefully channeled chakra to her head to ease her hangover.

She thought about last night. Along with anxiety over being caught, she also experienced a warm flutter of pleasure at the memory of his hands and lips on her body, of how he'd pressed himself against her. She knew without doubt that if they hadn't been interrupted, it would have gone further. Why was it so easy to give in like that? It was only lust, right? Simple fascination and physical attraction…so why was it so hard to keep her head on straight when he looked at her with those beautiful dark eyes and spoke to her in that devastatingly sexy voice and when he got close to her and invaded all of her senses…

She was _so_ not helping herself by thinking that way.

No way she had any _real_ feelings for him. She couldn't. That would be insane. Not to mention the fact that Itachi was incapable of feeling anything real for her. It wasn't love, but she knew it wasn't pure lust either. Was it the danger? The fact that it was forbidden? That certainly made it exciting, she had to admit. Just as she was quickly learning with other aspects of life, things were not always easily explained or categorized.

Hangover successfully eliminated, Sakura sluggishly got out of bed. Kisame had said they were leaving today, and she wondered how much time she had before they came to get her. _Kisame…_how embarrassing to have him walk in like that. If it had been a few minutes later…her cheeks flushed just thinking about how embarrassing it _could_ have been. Still, she was glad it had been Kisame walking in and not Deidara. She wasn't sure why exactly, but she would have felt worse if he had been the one to see them like that, and the situation probably wouldn't have gone over as smoothly as it had with the shark nin.

Sakura finished getting dressed and was gathering the rest of her belongings when she noticed a dark bundle atop a small table. It hadn't been there when she'd gone downstairs last night. She walked over to it curiously. There was a note lying atop what appeared to be black fabric, and she picked up the paper to read the scrawled and definitely masculine writing:

_Sakura,_

_You'll need this where we're going._

_It doesn't have the pattern. I know that's why you wouldn't wear it the other day. _

_You're such a stubborn woman. _

_Anyway, it should fit. Take care of it because they're not easy to get._

_Deidara._

Her expression softened in wonder as she set the note aside and held up the black bundle. It was an Akatsuki cloak, only it was solid black without the red clouds and lining. Other than that it was the exact same cut and material. It was really nice, something she'd never noticed before in looking at the members' cloaks. The fabric was thick and high quality, and it was expertly tailored. She knew by holding it up to her body that it would fit perfectly. Deidara got this for her? How had he gotten it so quickly, and how did it get here? Did he put it in here after she passed out last night? Wait, did that mean he was the one who brought her upstairs? She was touched by the thoughtful gesture, but was still a bit apprehensive. It was true that she'd refused his offer because the cloak was a symbol of membership to a notorious criminal organization and the thought of wearing it made her uncomfortable. But the chivalrous gesture itself was also distressing, given the odd relationships she was forming, with Deidara and Itachi in particular.

Sakura reread the note and smiled. She half expected his odd speech pattern to be in his writing as well, but people rarely write the way they speak. It really was a sweet gesture, and it was a beautiful cloak, and she really _did_ need a warmer one if they were going to be moving farther north. She was still staring between the note and the cloak when there was a quiet knock at the outer door.

"Sakura-san? Are you awake?"

"Yes, Tobi. What is it?"

"Were leaving soon. Tobi is supposed to tell you to get ready and come downstairs."

"I'm ready. I'll be right out."

"Okay."

Sakura chewed her lip and stared at the heavy cloak, then finally slipped it over her shoulders. It fit beautifully, and felt nice too. She smiled again and grabbed her pack, taking a last look to make sure she hadn't left anything, and walked out into the hallway where Tobi was waiting.

Tobi looked down at her. "Do you like the cloak, Sakura-san? Deidara-senpai told me to ask Zetsu-senpai to bring one when I met him," he said eagerly.

Zetsu? Tobi had met up with Zetsu? She hoped the plant man wasn't _here_; he gave her the creeps. She smiled at him. "It's lovely, Tobi. Thank you for your part in getting it." Though she couldn't see his face, his aura was thrumming happily, and she knew he was smiling. She smiled wider and couldn't resist giving the tall man a playful pat on the arm.

The others were waiting for them in the lobby, fully cloaked and holding their straw hats in hand. "Zetsu told Tobi the base is straight north, four days from here on foot, and that everything is ready for when we get there," she heard Deidara say as they walked up to the group. He turned to look at her and gave her a pleased smirk when he saw she was wearing her new cloak.

She moved closer to him and smiled softly. "Thank you," she said quietly so the others wouldn't hear.

"It's nothing, yeah. Looks good on you," he murmured, and looked away.

Sakura felt Itachi's eyes on her, and turned to lock gazes with him, a nervous flutter in her stomach. His eyes were dark, she was surprised to see, but his expression was unreadable. He registered her new appearance blankly, and after a moment turned away. She resisted the urge to growl in irritation. It looked like they were back at square one and he was distancing himself from her again. She was beyond frustrated. Why was he being so childish? They were both adults, and they had both consented to what they had done, so who really cared if they'd been caught? Why did it have to be so damned complicated?

_Because he's a murdering criminal, and you're supposed to be one of the good guys_, her conscience pointed out flatly. Well, after everything that had happened so far, she wondered if maybe she was just a little bit insane as well. And lately, she wasn't feeling so much like one of the good guys anymore.

The Akatsuki donned their hats and moved outside, preparing to leave civilization behind for the remainder of their mission. The little old matron shuffled out of the back and bowed to Sakura in farewell. Sakura smiled at her and said goodbye, wrapped her scarf around her neck and followed the four men out into the chill morning air.


	12. Rational Hypocrisy

**Perception**

Chapter Twelve: Rational Hypocrisy

* * *

"It's going to rain," Kisame declared, looking up at the dark clouds massing in the bleak northern sky.

"Hm. Looks like you're right. The rain up here will turn freezing; we should find a place to hole up and wait it out, yeah."

Sakura looked at the ominous sky with a frown. She was infinitely warmer now that she had a better cloak, but she still wasn't thrilled about being caught in bad weather when they were camping outdoors. As for her new cloak, they all knew what it was, but no one mentioned it. The members of Akatsuki tended to mind their own business unless it was relevant to the situation. Maybe missing-nin in general had some sort of unspoken rule to respect each other's privacy.

"Where did Itachi-san go?" asked Tobi.

"He's reporting to Leader," Kisame replied.

Sakura had learned that this entailed a deep meditation and complicated, long-range telepathy jutsu. He'd gone off by himself to avoid interruption, and she couldn't help but wonder what he was telling their leader. Certainly nothing about what was happening between them...that little complication wouldn't go over well with the top brass.

"Let's go before the storm hits," Kisame suggested as he re-adjusted Samehada on his back.

"Aren't we going to wait for Itachi?" Tobi asked.

Kisame merely shrugged and kept walking. "He'll find us."

Deidara followed behind. "Come on, Tobi."

"Coming!" Tobi scrambled after them, and Sakura fell into step beside Deidara. He looked at her briefly but didn't speak. Something was on his mind, but it wasn't any of her business so she walked next to him in silence.

Two days had passed since they'd left Kanna, and they were now deep in the wilderness. The elevation changed as they headed into the mountains, the terrain growing rockier and more barren, every day colder and windier than the last. Deidara was right when he said winter came early in this part of the world, and Sakura had a feeling they would see snow soon.

Itachi was still distant, but she could feel him watching her at times, and once or twice he didn't turn away as soon as she noticed. But he didn't speak to her, other than a few necessary interchanges, and she didn't try to initiate a conversation. They couldn't talk when they were never alone.

Having the others close by at all times also made it easier to avoid that palpable tension she felt whenever she got near him. They were inexplicably drawn to each other, and both were troubled by it. His withdrawn behavior was proof of that. Sakura had a few ideas about why she was drawn to him. He was fascinating to her because the reality of him was such a paradox to what one tended to think. He was so polite and intelligent and well-spoken. Combine that with his devastating looks and he was incredibly appealing—except for the fact that he was a psychologically damaged criminal who did terrible things without remorse. He was dangerous, unpredictable, and forbidden. For some reason that was enticing as well deterring.

Maybe Itachi was even more troubled by it than she was. When a person whose emotions had been repressed _did_ feel something, it was exceptionally intense; emotions of pure instinct rather than of intellect. Primal emotions such as anger, jealously, and lust. And if one of those emotions was strong enough to push to the surface, it was uncontrolled and usually violent not only by its very nature, but enhanced by the confusion of _feeling_ something unexpected. Even if Itachi's attraction to her was one of simple physical lust, the fact that he seemed compelled in spite of himself must be very troubling indeed, and had caused him to withdraw before anything else happened outside his control.

Maybe it was better this way. No, it was _definitely_ better this way. It was best to stop before a line was crossed. Too many had been crossed already since she'd been kidnapped, and some could never be re-crossed. Sakura knew she was changed irrevocably by this whole experience, and she still didn't know if it was for better or worse.

"Here, this will work, yeah."

They'd walked about a mile and a half through the highlands, and were now standing in front of a large, sheer rock face.

Kisame craned his neck to look up the imposing stone cliffside, then gave Deidara a skeptical look. "How? You gonna blow a hole in it for us?"

Deidara sighed irritably and walked up to stand flush with the cliff. "No. I _was_ a Stone ninja, remember?" He formed several rapid seals and pushed his hands against the rock wall. There was a low rumbling and groaning from inside the rock, and a moment later the surface began to ripple and distort. The stone shifted to the side and back into the cliff, and soon the four of them were staring at a smooth formed cave big enough to fit them all comfortably.

Sakura gaped in wonder at the result of one of the most practical and brilliantly useful jutsu she'd ever seen. "Wow, this must come in handy a lot," she said. Deidara smiled smugly.

"Hey…if you could do this why have we been sleeping outside every night?"

Deidara looked at Kisame as though the shark were stupid. "How many gigantic rocks have _you_ seen in the last two days with enough mass to allow distortion for a cave this size, hm?"

Kisame merely grunted and stooped slightly to enter the cave opening. There was a bright flash in the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder, and the rest of them headed into the shelter. Tobi volunteered to find what meager firewood could be found in this barren landscape, and returned just as the storm finally broke with another booming thunderclap. He kneeled down in the center of the small cave and began laying out his collection of twigs and deadwood.

Sakura knelt beside him. "Here, let me help," she offered. She made a few hand seals, and the small pile burst into flame.

"Wow! That was great, Sakura-san!"

She smiled. "This jutsu will burn longer than regular fire, so you shouldn't have to get any more wood." The other two were looking at her with bemused expressions. "What? I'm a Leaf ninja…from _Fire_ country. Uchiha aren't the only ones taught katon jutsu. Theirs are just a bit more impressive."

"Well aren't you just too convenient. You and blondie here."

Deidara glared, and was about to snap something at the shark when Sakura beat him to it. "There's nothing wrong with knowing a few practical jutsu that _aren't_ used for maiming and killing. We'll let you know if we feel like going for a swim," she said dryly, referring to the Mist nin's ability to pull water out of the air.

Kisame smirked wickedly. "I could provide the water if you want to be a good little girl and make dinner for us."

Sakura deadpanned. "I can't cook."

Kisame gaped at her. Deidara, who knew better, kept his face conspicuously blank and busied himself with inspecting the cave walls.

She narrowed her eyes menacingly at Kisame's stupefied expression. "You just assumed I would be all domestic because I'm _female_? Fuck you, Kisame," she said hotly, stabbing the fire with a stick and sending sparks into the air.

Deidara lowered his face into his high collar, trying to hide his amusement at the giant shark being told off by the petite girl.

Kisame raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Don't get your panties in a twist. I just thought they taught you kunoichi classes on that shit or something."

"They do, but that doesn't mean I was any good, _or_ that I enjoyed it. Besides, that stuff is only taught to us in case we get assigned as a spy and have to act as a civilian woman for a while. You must not know many kunoichi if you haven't noticed that most of us aren't exactly the meek little housewife type."

"He knows one that would probably rip his balls off and pin them to the wall if he suggested something like that to _her_," Deidara muttered.

Kisame gave him a sidelong look. "Yeah, well, _she's_ crazy anyway."

Sakura smirked. "Sounds like a woman I could respect. Who is she?"

"One of us. She's Leader's partner, yeah."

Sakura fell quiet. They'd heard that one of the Akatsuki might be female, but had never gotten any conclusive information. Now she knew for sure. "How interesting."

"What is?" Kisame asked.

"That your leader's partner is a kunoichi. She must be very strong."

Kisame shrugged and settled himself against the wall on the opposite side of the fire, laying his enormous sword across his lap.

Deidara sat down adjacent to her. "None of us have met her in person. But I'm sure she is."

The conversation died after that. Sakura and Deidara sat by the fire contentedly watching the flames, Kisame sat against the wall checking over the serrated teeth on his sword, and Tobi slumped against the opposite wall, masked face turned to the rain outside.

"Why did you become a ninja, Sakura?" Deidara asked her quietly.

Sakura looked up, surprised. The flickering firelight played across his youthful features, making his blue eyes extremely piercing. She looked at the fire again with a small, caustic laugh. "You'd think I'm stupid and pathetic if you knew."

His expression didn't change. "I doubt it. Whatever you may have been as a little girl, you're certainly not stupid or pathetic now."

She smiled gratefully and took a deep breath. "I was a tomboy when I was really young. I would rather play games with the neighborhood boys than play dolls or dress up. My parents were civilians so they didn't understand how I'd gotten that way. One day, I was out with my mom and I saw some boys play fighting in the park, and I thought it looked like a lot of fun. When I asked my mom about them she said they were from the shinobi families and that they attended the ninja academy. It stuck in my head, and when I turned school age I begged my parents to let me test for the academy instead of going to the regular school. I knew they wouldn't like it so I gave them a whole speech and presentation." She smiled at the memory, and Deidara smiled as well.

"They finally gave in, and I passed the preliminary tests with top scores. In the beginning I was in a class with a bunch of other girls and all we did was learn how to be _girls_; arrange flowers, serve tea—boring stuff. The other girls made fun of me because I looked like a tomboy. They called me 'Forehead Girl' as a joke about my brain being too big. They hated that I was smarter than them. I met my friend Ino when she stood up for me, and she sort of took me under her wing and tried to teach me how to be more feminine. Ino is good at that stuff, and she's really beautiful. Kind of looks like you actually." Deidara choked a little and gaped at her.

"Oh! I didn't mean you're, like, girly or beautiful. Well, I mean you're not girly, but you are kinda…anyway, uh…" She and Deidara both blushed, and heard Kisame snicker in from beyond the firelight. "What I meant was you're both blond and blue-eyed. And you kinda wear your hair the same," she added, gesturing to the topknot and long bangs covering his eye.

Deidara looked horrified.

"Anyway. Ino knew some of the boys and she took me to where they hung out a couple times. Then one day I saw the cutest boy I'd ever seen in my life and for the first time, standing next to gorgeous Ino, I felt ugly. All the other boys were in awe of him. They said he got the best marks in everything. I really wanted that boy to notice me, but he didn't seem to notice anyone. Then I found out that next term we would all be integrated into co-ed classes for the rest of our training. I didn't think someone like me had much chance to impress that boy, but I've never been a quitter and I was determined to get him to like me."

"The Uchiha punk?" Deidara guessed.

Sakura looked at him in surprise. How had he figured that out? She smiled wistfully and nodded. "Yeah. Him. His aloofness sparked my competitive streak and I was determined to be the one he fell for. It created a monster out of me. I became obsessed with being the kind of girl I thought he would want. For years I grew my hair really long and spent way too much time trying to be pretty and feminine, and not enough time on my training. I pretended to be nicer than I was and not act too smart because I'd heard guys don't like brainy girls. Oh, I still did well in classes, but everything I did was to impress _him_, not to make myself a better, stronger person. The worst thing was he _still_ didn't notice me any more than he did the other obsessed girls. In fact, it may have made him dislike me more than anything else. It was pathetic, and embarrassing, and it's not really a part of my past I'm proud of," she finished quietly, staring fixedly at the dancing flames.

Deidara watched her, appraising and comparing the girl she'd described to the woman before him. She didn't look at him, obviously embarrassed, thinking her image had been tarnished. "It's not the most impressive upcoming," he said amusedly, and she grimaced slightly. "But you're not like that now. If anything, it makes me dislike that guy even more for being such an asshole and so undeserving of so much devotion from you or any other girl, yeah." That made her look up at him, reluctantly. "You seem to forget that you didn't want to become a kunoichi to make a boy like you, you got into the academy because that's what you _wanted_ to be. No one would have the fortitude to finish six years of hard training if they didn't truly want to be a ninja. You just got sidetracked for a few years, yeah." She smiled at him.

"Also, no matter how much of a tomboy you were, I have a hard time believing you were ever ugly. And who told you that guys don't like smart girls? Guys don't want _stupid_ girls, Sakura. They may fuck them, but that's it." She stared at him wide-eyed, and he stared back like she should know better. "Who wants some brain-dead little twit hanging around? Not any guy I know. If they do it's because they're stupid themselves, and get intimidated when a woman is smarter than they are. I bet you graduated at the top of your class, didn't you?"

Sakura fidgeted with the stick/fire-poker in her lap. She didn't know whether to take his candid appraisal as simple honesty or something else. "Second, actually. Sasuke was first, since at the time I wasn't so good with practical application."

"But you are now, Sakura-san. You're really strong and powerful. I bet you would be listed as S-class if you became a missing nin!" Tobi chimed in.

Sakura hadn't even been sure if he was awake this whole time; he was being unusually quiet and somber. She smiled at him.

"He's probably right, yeah. I think you would be listed as S-class. What do you think, Kisame?" Deidara asked over his shoulder. The shark nodded his head once and grunted in agreement before returning to his sword. "See? I don't know why you're not in the Bingo book with the rest of your team."

Sakura blushed. She'd heard something similar not so long ago. But S-class? Damn. "Well, Sai isn't in the book because he didn't even exist on record until three years ago. But I don't know…I guess I'm not that well known for my fighting abilities. Only as a medic."

"You will be now, after what you did in that town with all those witnesses, yeah. You're one of the strongest fighters I've ever met."

"Thank you," she said with quiet sincerity. She didn't say out loud how much it meant to her to hear such words from some of the world's most formidable shinobi, all S-classed themselves. "But I don't really mind that I'm not in the book. Not everyone enjoys having bounties on their heads," she said wryly. "Besides, then they don't expect what's coming to them. Underestimation is a kunoichi's greatest weapon."

Deidara nodded. That was most definitely true, in her case especially. "So what changed? From that girl you used to be?"

Sakura's expression became somber as she gazed into the fire. "Sasuke left. He left us all behind like we never mattered. He went to Orochimaru to gain more power, even though we all offered to help him. We weren't good enough."

Her bitterness was obvious, and Deidara's dislike for the younger Uchiha grew even stronger. To have no appreciation for the good things in your life, to disrespect and throw them aside… To someone like Deidara, who'd never had much worth clinging to, it was unacceptable. He watched her pained expression with a frown as she continued.

"I was never equal to my teammates. I always felt as though I was watching their backs as they surpassed me in almost everything. The night Sasuke left…I asked—begged him—to take me with him. I wanted to help him any way I could, and…I didn't want him to be alone out there. But he refused because I wasn't good enough. He didn't want a burden tagging along and holding him back."

"Or he cared about you more than he let on, and didn't want to drag you into darkness with him."

Sakura was surprised to hear such words from Deidara, considering his blatant dislike for Sasuke. "Maybe. I guess I may never know. Shortly after that Naruto left as well, and I really was left behind. But the day after he left, I swore to myself that I would never again watch the backs of my teammates as they moved on without me. I would never be a pathetic hindrance to anyone ever again. I was done with being left behind. I would become strong and stand equal to them and anyone else who came along. I went to Tsunade-sama, who had just become our Hokage, and asked her to take me as her apprentice. And now here I am."

Deidara's blue eyes were unreadable in the flickering light. "There's nothing pathetic about you at all, Sakura. If the Uchiha prick couldn't see that, then it's his loss, yeah."

"Thanks," she said with a small but genuine smile. She didn't want to scold him for the way he talked about Sasuke, not after all the nice things he'd said to her. And also because, well, he was right. Sasuke kind of _was_ a prick.

Another round of thunder rumbled in the distance. Sakura briefly wondered why Itachi hadn't returned, if he was also waiting out the storm somewhere. What would he think of her little story? She absently sparked the fire with her stick. After a few minutes she noticed Deidara was still frowning slightly, deep in thought.

He noticed her watching him. "You said you wanted him to take you…that you were willing to become a missing-nin for him," he said slowly.

"I did…" she confirmed, wary of where he was going with this.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Interesting."

"Why?"

"You said before that nothing would lead you to betray your village."

"I was young, and…I thought I was in love," she muttered.

"So you _would_ betray your village. For love."

Sakura's frown deepened. That was the exact question she'd been asking herself all week. "I…I would never do anything to hurt the people of my village. I said it on impulse, I was desperate…I didn't fully understand what I was asking for."

"I think part of you did, or you wouldn't have been so concerned for him to go alone, yeah."

What was he trying to say? Kisame and Tobi were silent, most definitely listening.

"You say you wouldn't go against Konoha, but you were able to rationalize it back then. You weighed the options and decided that something was more important than the laws of your village and you were willing to break them. And you've broken them here with us as well. You healed my arm. You fought beside us against our enemies when you could have run away."

"They were my enemies too," she defended. He still didn't know that she'd also healed Itachi's eyes.

"So? You're rationalizing again. The bottom line is that certain circumstances would, in your mind, give you the justification to leave your village or at the very least break their laws. You do what you think is necessary at the time, and you have good reason to do it. How is that different from any missing-nin, hm?"

He was confusing her, and at the same time she understood all too well. It was making her angry. "Because I don't do things for my own ambition! I don't kill people for no reason!"

Deidara scoffed. "Are you fucking _serious_? You killed three people not even a week ago!"

"They would have killed me. I was defending my own life!"

"You think it's any different for us? Imagine what it's like when practically _everyone_ is trying to kill you."

"Well, if everyone is trying to kill you it's because what you do is wrong and needs to be stopped," she shot back.

His eyes narrowed. "How many people have you killed in your life?"

She glared back at him. "I don't keep track."

"Why? Because you don't want to think about it?"

She didn't answer.

"What exactly do you think you _are_, Sakura?"

"What?"

"You're a shinobi. What do you think shinobi do, huh? Their reason for existence?"

"We serve our village," she answered, still frowning.

"Right. You accept missions from your Kage, and do whatever they ask of you, right?"

"I suppose…yes."

"And why do you do the missions? What purpose does your duty serve?"

"To protect the village itself, and its citizens," she said firmly.

"So every mission you take is to protect your village from harm?"

He was leading her, and she didn't like where he was going. "No… What are you getting at, Deidara?"

"I'm proving a point."

"Then prove it, and stop leading me around," she snapped.

"Money."

"What?"

"You do those missions for money, and to eliminate anything the village sees as a threat to its superiority. Face the reality of what you are and what you do for a living, yeah. You're a _ninja_. A soldier for hire. An assassin. _You_ may not have killed a lot of people in your life, but don't be ignorant about the rest of your peers. For example, what do you think a jutsu like the Raikiri was created for? Or the Rasengan? You said it yourself earlier today; most jutsu are meant to kill. And as a shinobi you accept orders to kill or steal or sabotage indiscriminately. For money. What makes you think you and your friends are so different from us?"

This was one of the few times in her life that Sakura was dumbstruck. She couldn't believe he was saying these things. "I…because we _are_ different! Yes, we get paid to do all sorts of things, but we don't kill innocent people!"

"How do you know? Do you think your Hokage asks every rich contractor exactly _why_ they want someone dead, and what they did to deserve it? Come on, Sakura, don't be stupid."

An angry glare was her only reply. Kisame stood up silently and walked out of the cave into the rain. Tobi continued to listen quietly, displaying an unusual sense of tact and reserve.

"At least _we_, the Akatsuki, have a higher goal in mind. We're trying to change the world, yeah. Not fatten our wallets."

Sakura scoffed. "You want to change the world so that _you_ have the absolute power."

"And _you_ no longer would. Which is why we're such a threat to you."

"We don't hold power by collecting demons and unleashing their destruction on the world! What we do is for the greater good, not our own ambition!"

"_The greater good_? You actually believe that line of bullshit they teach you in the academy? Who's to say what the greater good is, hm? What they mean is _their own_ greater good. And what do you mean you don't unleash the power of demons on the world in order to control it? Why do you think the bijuu were sealed into jinchuuriki in the first place? Your own best friend harnesses the power of a demon and uses it against his enemies, or did you conveniently forget that as well?"

"Naruto is a good person. He doesn't unnecessarily hurt people," she said fiercely.

"What constitutes the necessity to hurt people? You see, I could go round and round with this. You need to stop with the rationalized excuses and look at the truth! We all have our reasons, and what we do is not so different when you look at the basic facts," he said harshly.

"We _are _different! I'm not a lunatic with crazy ideals! I don't blow up entire fucking cities just because I like the way it goes _boom_!" His expression darkened and his eyes narrowed dangerously at her, but she was too angry to think about what she may have just done. "Why are you saying this shit to me anyway?" she all but shouted.

"Because you're acting like a hypocritical, self-righteous bitch!"

Sakura was struck speechless, and stared at Deidara with wide, indignant eyes. She felt a strong urge to slap him, but it died when she saw disappointment mixed with the anger in his eyes. She was disappointed that their talk had come to this as well, and truthfully it upset her that he had raised his voice and yelled at her.

Unable to take him looking at her so sternly, like someone who _knows_ they're right, she stood up roughly and stomped out of the cave to get some fresh air and clear her head.

#

Kisame was there, leaning against the wet rock face several feet from the opening. How much had he heard since he'd gone out? He certainly heard the last part they shouted at each other. Sakura sat down on one of the small boulders littering the front of the cave, pulled her cloak tight around her frame and rested her head on her knees.

Her mind raced in circles, replaying what Deidara had said. She was angry, but she didn't know why. If it were Itachi saying those things, she would have thought he was trying to manipulate her and twist her thinking. But Deidara wasn't a manipulative person at all. He was blunt to the point of rudeness, and always said what he thought. He was opinionated and egotistical, to be sure, but his arguments were too passionate to be anything other than heartfelt and honest.

Okay, so he believed what he'd said. That didn't make him right. But then, if she was so firm in her convictions, why did it work her up so much to hear those things? The truth was, it bothered her because he'd unknowingly hit on a subject that she'd been in turmoil about for some time now.

Sakura had already admitted to herself that certain things were justified in the name of protecting people she cared about. That rationalization had led her to do the things she'd done recently. The real question was, why did she _really_ do those things? What about Deidara's arm? The reality was she did it out of compassion because he was in so much pain and she was truthfully beginning to like the guy. In other words; because she _wanted_ to. Why did she heal Itachi's eyes, and then save his life a few days later? That really was for Sasuke, but she could see how her logic was nearly impossible to understand from any point of view but her own. She hadn't _technically_ done any harm, but aiding and abetting wanted criminals, fighting alongside them for whatever reason, was completely illegal no matter how much she thought she could justify it. She'd made herself a willing accomplice to the criminal activities of missing-nin no matter how she looked at it.

And Sakura did those things because she knew she wouldn't get caught. But what if there was no way to hide her true feelings and intentions? What if she was told she couldn't help Sasuke? What if she was told to bring him back to Konoha for execution? Could she do it? _Never_. She would let him go forever before she did that. Or would she join him? Naruto would, she knew that without a doubt. If Naruto left the village too, would she follow him?

_Yes_. The answer rang as clear as a bell in her heart. There was a bond between the three of them that no one else would ever be able to understand. Nothing was more important to her. Not even Konoha. But she would never become a direct enemy to her village. She would never kill a fellow Leaf ninja. Sasuke had never done anything directly against Konoha, and that's why there was still a chance he would be allowed to come home.

And there it was. She could rationalize _his_ actions, as well as her own, yet she refused to acknowledge the possibility that other missing-nin might have equally justifiable reasons for abandoning their villages. She thought again of Haku, who had followed Zabuza out of love and gratitude. Wasn't that what she just admitted she would do for Naruto or Sasuke? She thought of Deidara. She'd admitted to understanding his reasons for leaving his village and that she didn't blame him for wanting to go.

Deidara was right; she _was_ being a hypocrite. It was wrong of her to automatically sweep all missing-nin into the same category of criminal and bad person.

Could he be right about the other part? Were good and bad shinobi really not so different when looked at without prejudice? _Remove your personal opinions and just look at the facts_.

They were ninja. They were paid good money to do all sorts of jobs, from pulling weeds to political assassinations. Anything and everything for the right price. They spied on people, carried out sabotage, stole important and valuable items. They ruined lives. They killed people. Both missing-nin and allied-nin alike did these things. And why? The main reason _was_ for money; to further the prosperity of your village and increase its status in the world, or for personal monetary gain. Sakura had done plenty of missions for both. She had taken odd jobs just because they paid well. The fake mission that put her in this situation was one of them. Her captors had known of Konoha's need for money and used it to their advantage.

The need for money was so great that they hardly ever questioned the validity of missions. Even the most elite among them would be assigned to rather demeaning tasks beneath their status if the contractor was willing to pay enough. The highest price tags were for things that the village wouldn't even admit to doing.

She thought of Kakashi and his elite status. Why was he so famous and well respected in the village? Because he was the best assassin in Fire country, possibly one of the best in the world. It wasn't something she liked to dwell on, but it was the truth. It was why he was in every Bingo book in existence. That, and for stealing forbidden or unique jutsu, some of which were ancient clan secrets. The Bingo book was nothing more than a kill list of all the ninja who had done the most damage to other villages over the years, and nearly everywhere they went someone knew the Copy Ninja wanted him dead. He must have done a lot in his career to earn such infamy. All of that was true, yet it was also true that he was one of the best people she knew and she loved him for _who_ and not _what_ he was.

Suddenly she remembered what Itachi had said to her the night they had talked over tea: '_You must have seen and done very little in service to your village to still believe such things_.' He'd called her naïve for thinking everything about her side was good and right, and that everyone _not_ on her side was wrong. He'd been right as well. He had been a Leaf ANBU Captain, and he knew more about what Konoha shinobi did in the name of duty than she ever could. Just because she hadn't participated in some of the darker and less noble aspects of shinobi duty didn't mean she could pretend that stuff didn't exist, that some truly horrible things didn't go down in those classified, unranked missions.

That led to the other reason ninja did what they did; to make themselves and their villages or organizations more powerful. To establish or maintain superiority. The missions that didn't revolve around money were the ones deemed necessary to eliminate threats from outside. She had even heard of Daimyo being assassinated because they tried to interfere with the hidden villages.

All those things were the inner workings of hidden villages, and none of it was known outside the shinobi world. What about the people outside, those who weren't involved with the hidden villages and their secret wars?

To civilians, shinobi were people to be feared. They ruled the underworld of society, moving through the shadows, making secret deals, doing the dark and dirty business no one else could get away with. Most people thought about _all_ ninja like that; they didn't distinguish the 'good' ones from the 'bad' ones because to them there was no difference. Was there _really_ a difference? The Akatsuki were criminals. But from an outside perspective so was Sakura. They all killed. They all spied and stole and brought ruin to people. What truly separated criminal from non-criminal was nothing more than who held the purse strings. Their motivations might differ slightly, but deeds were deeds.

She had been _so_ naïve.

Sakura sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her rain dampened hair. Her mind was still racing, but somehow her heart was clear. She felt as though a weight had been lifted from her conscience. She finally understood why she'd felt so tormented over the last few weeks. She wasn't a bad person. She wasn't evil. She was simply human. They were _all_ simply human. They all followed the paths they believed in. There were people in the world who would judge her based on their limited knowledge, and determine she was a despicable person who participated in criminal activity for no reason other than money or personal glory. They would think the same thing of all ninja, and they would be wrong in almost every case.

The reality of the world was not that simple. People and circumstances were not limited to good and evil, black and white. There were shades of grey that were only discernible up close. That was the answer to the questions she had been asking herself for a long time. She could finally see what Naruto had always seen; that there was some good in almost everyone. That was why he had always been such an advocate for helping and understanding people.

Sakura felt right within her own heart, and knew that she would never look at the world the same way again.

#

Several minutes had passed since Sakura came outside. She looked at Kisame, who had turned his face up to catch the falling raindrops. He was smiling. She smiled softly at the obvious enjoyment he got from doing such a thing. "You must love the rain," she said.

"I love all water," he explained without looking at her.

That made sense from him. She turned her face to the sky as he had done. "The sky is always beautiful to me, no matter what the weather or what time of day. It reminds you of how much bigger the world is than yourself, and it's always changing. And I love the rain. It's peaceful. It makes everything new and fresh again."

"It washes away your troubles. And your pain," he added quietly.

She looked at him curiously, and smiled. He'd never said anything so profound and emotional in front of her before, though he still didn't look her direction. "Yeah," she agreed softly, and returned her gaze to the stormy sky.

She heard a light crunching sound coming from behind her, and a moment later Tobi appeared at her side. He looked down at her, and she turned to face him when he didn't immediately speak.

"You're not a bitch, Sakura-san. Deidara-senpai was wrong to say that to you," he said quietly.

Sakura couldn't see anything of his expression, but his tone was uncommonly serious. He was wrong though. Deidara had been well within rights to call her a bitch because that's exactly what she'd acted like. Still, she was touched by Tobi's defense of her and taken aback by his sincerity. "Thanks," she said, and squeezed his elbow gently. He merely nodded, and a moment later walked off into the brush and disappeared from view.

Tobi's departure meant Deidara was alone in the cave, and she decided it was a good time to go clear things up with him. She stood and straightened her cloak before slowly walking back into the cave. She didn't see the smirk on Kisame's face as he watched her walk away.

She made her way to the back of the cave. Deidara was still next to the fire, one elbow resting on his knee, staring unfocused at the flames. He knew she was there, but he didn't acknowledge her. She sat beside him in the same spot as before and joined him in staring at the dancing flames.

"You were right," she said. "Itachi said something similar a while ago but I didn't listen to him either. You _are_ right; you know the truth because you've seen both sides. I couldn't see the other side until I was brought into it, forced to look at things more closely. I got so angry because it's something that's been bothering me for weeks and I didn't know how to deal with it. I was afraid of what it might mean. I was foolish and stubborn and completely wrong. I'm sorry."

He looked at her then, his eyes searching hers. "It's alright," he said quietly.

She smiled softly at him, feeling the last of her tension drain away. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For making me see the truth. I'd been working around it for some time, but I was afraid to go through that last door because it meant accepting things about myself—and about all of you—that I didn't want to accept. I felt like a bad person for liking you, and for…other things I've felt and done recently. I don't anymore, so thank you."

She didn't catch the small downward turn of his brow when she'd alluded to 'other things.' "I like you too," he admitted quietly. "We all do I think. This situation is not at all what any of us expected to happen, yeah." He gave her a small, slightly forced smile.

It comforted her that they felt the way she did, even though it complicated things further. "Also…I'm sorry for what I said about you. I didn't mean it. You're a good person, Deidara."

Deidara was taken aback. No one had ever said he was a good person before. He just nodded slightly in acceptance, not really knowing how to respond. A moment later he said, "You know, I've never done anything like that…blown up an entire city full of people. I only bluffed it with the Kazekage because I knew he wouldn't let it happen. And even though we may kill people with less provocation, and some of us are worse than others, Akatsuki doesn't go around terrorizing people for fun." His tone wasn't reproving, he just wanted her to know.

"I know, you don't have to explain." She'd spent the last three years doing nothing but track the movements of their organization. He wasn't lying. Akatsuki didn't target anyone who couldn't cause problems for their goals, and they didn't bother with civilians at all. Most of their efforts were put into coercing already corrupt politicians and hunting down jinchuuriki. They were nowhere near as evil as Orochimaru and his vile projects and experiments.

He shifted his position a little. "I'm sorry too…for calling you those things. I just got angry, yeah."

Sakura shrugged. "It's okay. You were totally right; I _was_ being a hypocritical bitch."

She smiled, and so did he, and then they were laughing at the whole ordeal. It had been a couple hours since they'd taken refuge from the rain, and the storm was finally dying out. After several minutes of comfortable silence, the reconciled friends turned their heads at the sound of footsteps.

Kisame and Tobi came back in, and with them was Itachi. His cloak and hair were only slightly damp, and Sakura figured he must have waited for the worst of the storm to pass before coming to find them. Their eyes met, and she felt that same thrill she always felt when looking into his eyes, especially when they were dark, like now. He was using the Sharingan less now that they were away from populated areas, and it pleased her that he was taking her advice.

It was quiet the rest of the night. They shared a small dinner and listened to the remnants of the storm dripping outside. With nothing else to do and no one feeling much like talking, they all turned in early. Sakura lay down near the dying fire between Tobi and Deidara, as close as she dared for extra warmth. Kisame was bigger and thus provided more heat, but he snored and was rather scary to look at up close. And Itachi…considering everything, sleeping next to him was out of the question.

She could feel his eyes on her from the cave entrance where he kept first watch, but she resisted looking his way. She yawned, pulled the collar of her cloak up under her chin, and pressed her back against Deidara's for more warmth, completely unaware that he was still awake, and that a tiny smile graced his lips when she curled against him.

She also missed the way Itachi's eyes glinted in the darkness as he saw the entire thing.

* * *

Two days later they reached their destination, where they would wait for Naruto and her team to find them.

This Akatsuki safehouse was high in the mountains, and it was bitterly cold and windy. It was an abandoned military fort, cut directly into the mountainside with a stonework façade. There were only two or three windows in the entire structure that Sakura could see. It was old and imposing and fit right in with the sense of foreboding she felt.

They entered the base and settled in. Sakura was given her own room in what must have been the officers' quarters, with a fairly large bed, an antiquated coal furnace in the corner for heat, and a writing desk and chair. Everything ran on kerosene and coal; no electricity and no wood fires since there was no wood to be found at this elevation. There was an underground training area, a large kitchen with a well stocked pantry, and a common room full of dusty furniture, a broken billiards table, and shelves of dilapidated and crumbling books. She didn't explore the soldiers quarters or dining hall because the entire facility was incredibly drafty and those areas were especially cold due to their large size.

This was it. There would be no more running, no more marked trails, no more avoiding the fact that very soon there would be a major battle here that was sure to leave more than one person dead. Sakura couldn't bring herself to be excited about her rescue. She assumed her team would be under orders to capture or kill the Akatsuki, but the main priority would be to get her and Naruto out of harm's way even if it meant letting Akatsuki get away. But if the Akatsuki had _their_ way, Naruto would end up captured, Sasuke—if he showed up—would end up dead, and whoever tried to interfere with those two goals would be killed as well.

Did that include Sakura? Most likely. They admitted to having a sort of fondness for her, but they wouldn't let it interfere with their mission anymore than she would let her fondness for them keep her from protecting her friends. She _would_ fight against them, but it would be hard—something she hadn't counted on when she made her original plans. She was starting to care about these people, and she didn't like the thought of the two sides fighting and killing each other. She was torn, straddling the fence, and though she would always choose the side of her teammates, she couldn't help but wish for a way out of this.

But there was no way out. Akatsuki would never back down in their efforts to get Naruto. They were under orders, and to go against them would result in severe punishment. They weren't going to put their lives on the line for _her_, no matter how much they had come to like her. Her team would never back off from trying to save her, they would never give up and they _would_ put their lives on the line for her. As for Itachi and Sasuke, that confrontation was bound to happen no matter what. In the end, one of them would die. That was all there was to it.

There was no getting out of this, no matter how much she wished for a way to save them all and just go home.

It would all come to an end, and soon. All she could do was wait.


	13. On a Day Like Today

**Perception**

Chapter Thirteen: On a Day Like Today

* * *

Sakura cupped her hands around her steaming bowl of soup, gratefully absorbing the heat through the ceramic into her chilled fingers. She sat at the wooden table in the industrial sized kitchen, about to eat the simple stew she'd managed to cook up. She didn't know where anyone else was at the moment, but she figured they'd be around soon to see if anyone had made something passable to eat. All five of them were terrible cooks. Fortunately the large pantry, which was easily the size of Sakura's bedroom back home, was stocked full of non-perishables and easily made food. In fact the stew she was eating now had come out of a giant tin can that she'd dumped into a large pot and heated over the stove. Tasted like it too. It couldn't be helped though; they were nearly a hundred miles from any settlements, so fresh was not an option.

It was so damned cold in this place that walking around without her cloak was _also_ not an option. It only got warm and comfortable in the private quarters, where the coal stoves would heat the small space reasonably well. For Sakura, who grew up among lush forests and a temperate climate, this place sucked.

It had been four days since they arrived, and though not much was happening at any given time, there was a thick tension all around the place, a curious mixture of excitement and dread. They all knew what was coming and that it was coming any day. Sakura had been a 'captive' now for over three weeks, but it felt like much longer, and not in the slow and torturous way one would expect.

This way of life, so different from what she had known before, now seemed a natural part of her. It was probably not a good thing that she adjusted so well into the lifestyle of a missing-nin, but it was true all the same. Though she didn't think she could go through it alone, and it was only so easy because she was with comrades, perhaps even…friends? That was what made the waiting unbearable. If her captors were nothing more than villains holding her against her will, she would be counting the seconds until her rescue with a fierce and sadistic mindset, waiting for a chance to retaliate. But it wasn't like that. It hadn't been since nearly the first day.

As it was, every day that passed felt like the calm before a storm, and everyday Sakura struggled to control her anxiety.

Would today be the day when someone she cared about was killed? Would it be tomorrow? If she survived and went home again with the broken pieces of her former life, how would she say goodbye to those she left behind forever? There was no perfect solution. It wasn't possible to have it both ways.

The kitchen door swung open and Deidara entered, and she smiled pleasantly at him. He didn't return it, just twisted the corner of his mouth slightly. Her smile widened; he was still so rough around the edges, and maybe he always would be. It was okay though, it was one of the things she liked most about him.

"I made some soup," she said.

He eyed her curiously. "You _made_ some soup?"

"I _heated_ some soup," she amended.

He peered into the large tureen on the stovetop, then poured himself a bowl and sat down. She thought of asking him where everyone else was, but decided against it because if there was one thing she had learned in the last three and a half weeks, it was that the Akatsuki mostly kept to themselves. Itachi was still keeping his distance from her. She never saw him alone and any words between them rarely constituted a complete sentence. Every time, it annoyed her and left her feeling a lack of something, and every time she would have to remind herself it was for the best and she shouldn't be thinking about it. It never worked.

"Something wrong?"

She looked up from her bowl to find Deidara watching her. "Hm? Oh…no, it's just, all this waiting is starting to get to me."

Any questions from there were likely to lead to a bad place, so he just nodded and kept eating. After a moment he offhandedly said, "This tastes like shit, yeah."

Sakura stared at him blankly for a second before snorting and breaking into a fit of muted giggles. He grinned at her, and finally broke into a laugh himself. It wasn't really that funny, but they both took pleasure in laughing for the sake of laughing, lightening the somber mood of the last few minutes. Sakura thought this might be a good time to bring up something she'd been waiting for the opportunity to tell him.

"Deidara…" she began, reaching into the inner pocket of her cloak and bringing out two scrolls. "I've been meaning to give these to you for a few days." She set them on the table between them. "I found them hidden in the old desk back at…your house. They belong to you."

He stared at the scrolls with an unreadable expression. He didn't ask what they were; he knew he was looking at the stolen jutsu that had warranted his family's murders. Nor he didn't ask what she was doing with them or why she had taken them, that was obvious because he was a shinobi too and he would have done the same. He slowly picked one up and opened it, reading its contents carefully before setting it down and picking up the other. Then he slowly pushed the scrolls back toward Sakura, finally meeting her uncertain gaze. "Keep them."

She was taken aback. "You don't want them…?"

He shook his head. "They're not important anymore."

"You're sure?"

He shrugged. "Give 'em to your Hokage. It's not like I have some patriotic sentiment toward Iwa. Besides, I just memorized them."

"Alright," she said quietly, returning the scrolls to the inside of her cloak. She was glad he wasn't angry that she'd taken them and held on to them this long.

"Why did you offer to give them back?" he wanted to know.

"Well, when I found them, it was before things got so…well…like this," she explained, looking absently at the tabletop.

Deidara knew what she meant, and nodded faintly as he stared into his own cooling bowl. 'Like this,' was something none of them had expected.

In a near whisper, Sakura said, "I don't want this to happen. I don't want you to hurt my friends, and…I don't want them to hurt you."

She wasn't asking him not to. She wasn't using their relationship to plead with him and convince him or his comrades to back down, and Deidara's respect for her bravery and fortitude grew immensely in that moment. The expression on her face was slightly heart-wrenching, and it stirred something within him to hear her say she was concerned for him as well, but he didn't know how to respond to something so unexpected so he just waited for her to continue.

"It feels stupid to say this, but I never expected any of you to be so…how you _are_. Especially you. I never expected to get to know you like this, and now I feel as though you're…my friend." She gave him a small, sad smile.

Deidara nodded, his expression nearly as troubled as hers. "I know. I feel the same about you. I've never had a friend…I mean, Sasori and I talked about a lot of things, but we never had much in common other than our interest in art, and we could never agree on that either. And Tobi…well, I can't explain Tobi. But it's different with you, yeah. You get me." He sighed. "I wish things could be different, Sakura, but we can't back down. Not when we're so close to the goal we've worked for over ten years to achieve. I know it's not easy to hear that, but that's the way it is, yeah. Leader won't forgive any more failures."

Sakura nodded solemnly, disappointed but not surprised by his words, yet happy at the same time to hear him call her a friend.

Deidara reached across the table and grabbed her forearm gently, offering what little reassurance he could. "I wish there was another way, yeah. I know you'll fight with your teammates. I wouldn't expect any less of you. We'll all do what we have to do. But Sakura, if I have to hurt you…I will be sorry," he said softly, as much sincerity and regret in his tone as he could convey.

Sakura laid her hand over his. Her brow creased and her lip trembled slightly, but she remained calm and looked at him with bright, soulful eyes. "Me too."

They remained that way in silence for a long time, thoughts of what was coming hanging above them like a cloud.

* * *

Snow began to fall shortly after midday, and by late afternoon a thick white blanket covered everything outside the fortress walls. Growing up in Fire country, snow was a rare novelty to Sakura and in no time she was outside, her spirits lifted for the first time in days.

Of course she wasn't alone. Kisame, who was the one to see her peering excitedly at the sky out of a dust covered window, trailed after her as she ran down the steps and out the door. He stood under the corrugated awning, watching the petite girl skipping around happily in the fresh snow with an amused smile on his shark-like features.

A couple minutes later Deidara walked through the open door and started to ask what Kisame was doing standing there with the door open, but stopped when he saw Sakura in the yard. Small flurries whirled past in the wind, and she laughed with childlike enthusiasm and twirled around with them, her cloak billowing out around her. She turned her face to the sky and opened her mouth to try and catch the falling flakes on her tongue. To Deidara, snowflakes were a perfect example of art; beautiful, fragile, never the same, gone in an instant. It made him smile to see her like this, her musical laughter filling the silence, reveling in the wonder of nature's art.

Kisame saw the look on the younger man's face and shot him a wicked grin. Deidara glared at him and was preparing a snarky retort when suddenly a blurry ball of white smashed into the side of Kisame's head.

The giant shark half grunted, half yelped in surprise and quickly turned in the projectile's direction as Deidara burst into loud laughter at his expense. Sakura was doubled over with laughter as well, her arm raised toward Kisame, one cold-nipped finger pointing jeeringly at the shark whose face and shoulder were covered in flaky white.

"Oh, _come on_, Kisame! That was terrible! If that had been a kunai you'd be _so_ dead!" She laughed harder, the tail end of her laugh turning into a squeal as Kisame advanced on her with a sadistic grin. They began to circle each other, gathering handfuls of snow and packing them into balls while eyeing each other warily. Kisame was the first to launch his snowball, and Sakura yelped playfully as she dove aside.

The battle was on. When Tobi appeared in the open doorway and saw what was going on he ran out into the fray with as much youthful enthusiasm as Sakura. The three-way battle raged on with shouts of surprise and laughter, and it wasn't long before Deidara had to jump aside to avoid the snowball aimed directly at his chest. It smashed against the side of the wall near the doorframe, and he looked out at three grinning ninja, not sure who had thrown it.

"Come on, Deidara-senpai! Come and play with us!" Tobi hollered, waving his arm in invitation.

Sakura grinned wickedly and bent to scoop up another snowball, challenging him with her eyes. She launched it at him, laughing. He dodged, and with a devilish smirk, moved off the porch to join the fight.

It was every shinobi for themselves, though Tobi received the majority of the pelting due to his blind spot. They ran around the wide flat area in front of the fort, laughing and shouting and flinging snowy projectiles with mirthful abandon. It was the most fun Sakura could remember having in a long time, and by the look of it, the same could be said for the three men as well. Sometime after the play fighting began, Sakura glanced toward the building and was slightly surprised to see Itachi there, leaning against the open doorframe with his arms crossed. The sounds of their shouting and laughter must have drawn his attention, or possibly the cold draft from the door they'd forgotten to close. He wore an expression of mild interest and almost-amusement, and she figured for him that meant he was enjoying himself.

Itachi hardly spared a glance at the other three, but watched her with his trademark intensity. Sakura both loved and hated the way he looked at her. She loved how it made her feel like she was the only thing in the world worth looking at, how she could see in his gaze all the things he couldn't show and say. But at the same time she hated how those beautiful eyes could make her forget everything else, how they stripped her bare until she had nothing left to fight him. And mostly, she hated that she wanted him to do _more_ than look, _more_ than watch her every movement like a man starved.

She smiled at him, and tried not to get irritated when he showed no reaction. She felt a strong urge to throw a snowball at him, to try and force him to _react_ to something, but she didn't have quite enough courage to do such an obviously perilous thing.

Kisame, however, felt no such reserve and launched _two_ snowballs at his partner. He casually stepped aside as they smashed into the wall, but he had to dodge a bit quicker a second later to avoid the one Deidara threw after anticipating his sideways movement. His brow furrowed just slightly at that.

There was soon a mutually unspoken decision to pick on the killjoy of the group as Tobi joined in and threw his snowball at Itachi as well, followed right after by another from Kisame.

Sakura laughed. If _Tobi_ could throw snowballs at Itachi and get away with it then so could she. She gleefully launched one of her own at him. He had to vacate the small porch area, as it was too narrow to avoid all the flying snow coming his way.

Kisame was practically howling at the sight of his partner jumping nimbly out of the way as each fresh snowball flew at him at rapid speed. Itachi leapt up onto the corrugated overhang and fixed them all with a look of amused indignation. Sakura wondered if anyone had ever attempted to play around with him before. Maybe Sasuke had tried, but knowing how Sasuke was, that seemed a bit far-fetched. She felt bad for the boys they had been; possibly never knowing what it was like to play with friends. To make up for it she threw a snowball particularly fast and hard at his chest, which actually managed to catch him on the shoulder as he moved aside.

Itachi looked at his snow-covered shoulder and back to Sakura. The look on his face was absolutely priceless, and she burst into laughter. Apparently her laughter was the trigger, because Itachi remained impassive no longer. Their eyes all went wide when, rather than gather his own snowball to throw, he made hand seals.

There was a loud rushing sound as the air began to whirl around them and fill with drops of condensed moisture, and a moment later they were being pelted with freezing shards of rain. He'd used a simple water jutsu, but the frigid air and high winds turned it into frozen little pellets, and the four of them had to cover their heads and faces with their hands to avoid the harsh pelting.

It was over soon, only lasting long enough to blast them with a few stinging slivers and make his point. Straightening themselves and removed any clinging ice particles, they looked to their assailant. Itachi jumped down from the overhang and faced them all smugly with an undisguised smirk on his features. Then he turned and walked back into the building. They all laughed at his little payback, knowing that it was his own way of joining in their game and that just maybe, he'd had fun.

#

They decided to end their game and go back inside when the sun began to set and it got too cold and windy to stay outdoors. They invaded the kitchen and raided the pantry, each of them picking out whatever they wanted and deciding to cook it all. Itachi joined them shortly after they came in, but sat quietly at the table and didn't join in their romping and joking, though he seemed rather content.

While they took turns attempting to cook, the rest of them sat around the table with a large bottle of sake—or warmth, of course—while Sakura performed makeshift triage. Ninja snowball fights were not child's play, and she spent some time healing black eyes and bruises and chilblained fingers before they all sat down to eat.

Dinner was full of crude jokes and laughing at stupid things, all of them in better moods than they had been in days. It was the most fun Sakura had had in recent memory, but it was bittersweet. This surreal, almost family-like life they had settled into would end abruptly any day now. Some of them may die, and those who lived would return to the lives they had before. Unlike Sakura's team who all had individual bonds outside of work, the four Akatsuki would split into two teams and go their separate way again as soon as this was over.

Itachi and Deidara respected each other as ninja, but otherwise held a mutual dislike for each other as people—she knew Deidara's reason, but Itachi's remained a mystery and she didn't have the nerve to ask. Tobi was disregarded by Kisame and Itachi, and was therefore loyal only to his partner and didn't try to befriend anyone else besides Sakura. Kisame didn't seem to give a damn what happened to any of them, though he was a loyal and trusted partner to Itachi.

It was Sakura that brought them all together, although the circumstances were far from ordinary.

Sakura knew she couldn't continue to be friends with any of them if they hurt one of her teammates. Not even Deidara. She respected that they were all just doing their jobs, but her love and loyalty lay with her boys. As for Itachi, whatever was between them would end the moment he met his brother in battle or tried to hurt Naruto.

A part of her couldn't help but wish that day would never come. Pointless as it was to think that way, apparently she wasn't the only one to think it, because the topic of conversation had turned to just that.

"It's so much more fun when Sakura-san is around, isn't it? I wish she didn't have to leave," Tobi said wistfully.

That dampened their mood somewhat, and the table became rather quiet. Deidara stared at his plate, irritated that Tobi had killed the mood, and troubled by the truth he spoke. Kisame looked thoughtful and took a deep swig of the sake bottle. Itachi watched Sakura with an unreadable expression, and she held his gaze in the hope that he would convey some silent message to her. Once again, nothing was given, but the fact that he was looking at her so intently meant he _did_ think something about the idea of her leaving them.

Kisame, who was steadily getting drunk, decided he would enlighten them on his personal feelings about the subject. "It's certainly been amusing having her around," he slurred, a toothy grin on his features. "Woulda been funner if she had bigger tits though…." He sighed and took another drink.

Sakura frowned at him. "My _tits_ are fine the way they are, thank you very much. And I certainly don't feel the need to cater my appearance to _you_, fishface. Don't be so damned rude."

The former Mist-nin snickered and waved his hand. "Sorry, princess, but my mother didn't teach me any manners either."

Sakura's expression froze. He had to be referring to what she'd said to Itachi that night in the dining room when he'd almost kissed her. That meant Itachi had told him what happened, had confided in him. She never would have expected that. Still, they had been partners for over a decade. They trusted each other and whether they would admit it or not, they were friends. Kisame didn't seem to have realized what he'd given away, and she looked quickly to Itachi, but he was purposely avoiding her gaze.

The others had no idea that there was an underlying implication to Kisame's words, so she recovered quickly and teased the drunken shark. "You had a mother? I always assumed you spawned out of an egg or something."

They laughed, and even Itachi give a small smile at the joke. He was certainly acting different today, more relaxed and almost sociable.

The rest of dinner was pleasant and lighthearted, with more crude jokes and more teasing the increasingly drunken Kisame. Sakura helped Tobi clean up and then they all sat around with the sake and talked some more. Itachi was the first to leave for his own quarters; one could only expect so much socializing out of the stoic Uchiha in one day. Tobi went soon after, the effects of sake rendering him too tired to remain awake. The rest of the night's conversation was between Sakura and Deidara, with Kisame adding his mostly inappropriate opinions here and there until he was too drunk to talk straight. Eventually Deidara got up and said goodnight to her, before their talk could turn melancholy like it had earlier in the day, and Sakura was left alone with Kisame, who was now out cold.

She thought about helping him burn off some of the alcohol, but decided against it in the end. It served him right for drinking so much and if he had a massive hangover tomorrow it was his own fault. With a final snort of amusement at the small puddle of drool forming on the table under Kisame's face, she stood up and made her way down the cold stone corridors toward the sleeping quarters.

#

Halfway to her room she stopped in the hallway, a sudden impulse taking hold. After a long moment of indecision, she continued down the hall past her own quarters and stopped in front of the door she knew to be Itachi's.

Hesitantly, she raised her hand and knocked softly. She heard the muffled acquiescence, and slowly opened the door and went inside. Warm air rushed to greet her as she stepped in and quietly closed the door behind her. The burning coals in the heater were the only source of illumination, and the pulsing embers cast flickering shadows across the stone walls.

Itachi stood in only an undershirt and pants, his dark eyes fixed on her. The firelight cast deep shadows across his features and illuminated the definition of his muscles through his snug shirt and across his exposed arms. He was so beautiful that for a moment all she could do was stare at him, until his soft voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Did you need something, Sakura?" he asked, his tone low and smooth as velvet.

A double edged question, and he knew it. _Did_ she need something? He was waiting for an answer, so she said the first thing that came to mind.

"I wanted to do a final checkup on your eyes." It wasn't exactly _un_true; she did want to see how they were holding up. But that wasn't what made her turn away from her own room and come here so late at night. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Of course," he said quietly. The small smirk on his face was amplified by the flickering fire, and he almost looked like he was smiling. It was strange to see.

Itachi made no move or gesture, simply stood still and waited for her to take the first step. She slowly walked up until she was directly in front of him and slipped off her cloak, laying it across the desk. His eyes were positively smoldering. It was all a bit distracting, and she had to force herself to focus on what she'd said she came here to do. She placed her fingertips at his temples, brushing his hair aside as she did, and sent her chakra into him. Itachi closed his eyes, which only made it easier for her to stare at him. It also wasn't helping that they were standing very close. It was hard to focus, and she closed her eyes as well to drown out those overwhelming urges.

A minute later she suppressed a sharp intake of breath as his fingertips brushed lightly over her outer thighs before his hands settled gently on her hips. His thumbs moved absently over her hipbones, and she fought the urge to step into him. For the first time in days he was closing that distance. He was reacting. It was what she had been hoping for.

His eyes were fine, and maybe it was time they both stopped playing games.

She ceased the flow of chakra and lowered her hands to rest lightly against his collar. "Your eyes are fine," she said quietly, concentrating on the feel of his hands on her hips. Her reality always seemed to sharpen when he was near her like this. She was aware of everything in detail; how close they were, the pull of tension between their bodies, the heat of the fire at her back, the feel of his hands…yet at the same time everything outside of _them_ seemed to fade away to insignificance.

"Is that really why you came here, Sakura?" he asked, moving just a little closer. His voice was so soft, almost a whisper.

Taking a deep breath, with as much boldness as she could gather, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. "No," she whispered.

Another small step forward, and the pressure of his hands increased. "Then why?"

Sakura had no explanation, no reason other than exactly what was happening now, so she answered him by closing the distance and pressing her lips to his.

She had never initiated any intimacy between them before. His lips responded to her kiss, but his hands tensed against her hips for a moment. After his initial surprise, his grip tightened and he pressed her against him, wrapping his arms around her.

Emboldened by his response, she leaned into him and deepened the kiss. He was responding, returning her kiss eagerly, but it felt different than before. Hesitant. Sakura pulled back and looked into his eyes. Those dark depths held desire, but there was also wariness. Her fingers brushed his jawline and she leaned up to kiss him again, and while Itachi made no move to stop her, he didn't tilt his head to meet hers again and she felt him tense slightly. She stopped just before meeting his lips.

_What the hell?_ He would let her kiss him and eventually respond but he wouldn't initiate anything or meet her halfway? He was obviously still was trying to resist it. But then why was he the one to put his hands on her and ask those leading questions?

"Itachi…what is this?" she asked quietly.

His expression once again became blank. "What do you mean?"

She wasn't fooled by that anymore. He knew damn well what she meant, and she wasn't going to let him do this. "This thing between us. What am I to you?"

Itachi tensed, and she lowered her arms from around his neck. He stepped away, still holding her gaze as if she had challenged him. In a way, she had. But if he said something along the line of 'simply a hostage' or 'nothing' she would slap that blank look off of his face, consequences be damned.

"An unexpected turn of events." His voice and expression betrayed nothing. It was true enough to not be a lie, but vague and unspecified enough to not convey anything personal.

_Damn him_. She didn't want to push him into shutting down completely, but he was beginning to make her angry. "Is that it?"

"What do you expect me to say?"

"Bad weather is an 'unexpected turn of events,' Itachi, not _this_. This is more than that and you know it. Stop talking like what's going on between us is some abstract thing and acknowledge your part in it. Take responsibility for your own feelings and choices," she said quietly but firmly.

His brow furrowed slightly and he turned partly away. "I thought you realized by now that I have no use for feelings, Sakura."

"That doesn't mean you don't have them sometimes."

A small clench of his jaw was his only response, but even that minimal reaction proved her point.

"Even if it's nothing more than physical lust, it's still a feeling. One you've been unwilling or unable to control with me. I don't know why either. I'm as confused by it as you are. Neither of us wanted this to happen, but it did. Stop denying that it's something real when I can feel it even now as we speak."

"I think you draw too many of your own conclusions," he said, a slight edge to his voice.

"Do I? Then why aren't you looking at me?"

His jaw clenched again, and he locked eyes with her. The weight of his gaze on her held more substance than touch, and her pulse quickened. "What is it you expect of me, Sakura?" It was almost an accusation.

"I'm not asking for anything. I only want you to be honest with me and with yourself."

"I have no need to lie."

"Not telling lies isn't the same as being honest. You act so indifferent, so cold. And I know that with most things you probably _are_ indifferent. But every time we…that kiss a moment ago…was anything but cold."

His blank mask dropped briefly, but he didn't answer her or give any other sign that he acknowledged her words. She waited, hoping she'd gotten through, but nothing came. He just continued to stare at her with that same intense yet emotionless gaze. Sakura could see she was getting nowhere. He wouldn't stop her if she threw herself at him, but he wouldn't take any responsibility for what happened. She was fuming and immensely frustrated. She would never have thought Itachi capable of being a coward.

Her expression hardened and she looked at him with scorn in her eyes. "Fine. I guess I was wrong," she said coldly, and turned away. She reached the door and stretched her arm to grab the knob when she heard him finally speak.

"Sakura…"

In the quiet murmur of her name she caught the unmistakable undertone:

_Wait…_


	14. The Nightside of Eden

**Perception**

Chapter Fourteen: The Nightside of Eden

* * *

Sakura stood very still, the intonation ringing through her like a bell. Slowly, almost afraid of what he would say next, she turned to face him.

Itachi's expression was still unreadable, though no longer blank—it was a mixture of so many things she couldn't distinguish any one thought or emotion. It had cost him to call out to her, to ask her to wait, though he hadn't said the words. She knew it would cost him more to say what he was about to say. He took a small step toward her, and she moved forward as well, willing to give as much or as little as he did.

"Sakura," he began quietly, "I didn't intend for this to happen. I didn't anticipate the possibility, and that is unsettling. I'm not accustomed to oversight. But you are a remarkable woman, and very beautiful. I said before that you fascinate me, so perhaps it is not entirely a surprise. What _is_ surprising," he slowly reached out and gathered the ends of her hair between his fingers, his eyes never leaving hers, "is that I am drawn to you in spite of myself." His thumb grazed softly against her cheek. "You, Sakura…there is something about you that makes me _feel, _even if just a little, when I am so used to feeling nothing at all. The effect you have on the part of me I thought no longer existed is the reason I am drawn to you." His fingers brushed the hair at her temple, and leaned slightly into his touch. "What is this to you, Sakura?"

The velvet of his voice flowed over her like a caress, and she wasn't entirely sure she could form words to speak. "I…I can't entirely explain it. First of all, you're gorgeous…but that's not really it. That only makes it harder to resist you. You…you fascinate me as well, because there's so much more depth to you than I ever imagined. I can sense so much beneath your cold surface that you can't or won't show…and I want to find it. I want to bring it out." She took another small step toward him, and he let his fingers slide through her hair to rest at the nape of her neck. "I know that's probably impossible. I know you will never be open or caring, but I also know there's more to you than your dark image. I can see that deep inside, you are still a human being. You're just a man. And it's _that_ part of you I'm drawn to," she finished quietly, moving closer and resting her hands lightly against his chest.

Itachi's gaze turned inward for a moment. "Just a man…." His lips twisted in what could have been a small, wistful smile. Onyx eyes focused on her again and his hands moved over her hips before settling on her waist. "Sakura…what do you want?"

She smiled softly. "Whatever we can have."

Something passed behind his eyes, unclear but profound, and then he lowered his head and kissed her. This kiss was different than all the kisses before it; it was passionate, but there was something else as well, something that went _beyond_, deeper than simple lust. It frightened her and yet she welcomed it, and she held his face in her hands and responded with all the feeling she had held inside for so long.

Just when she thought he would deepen the kiss, he ended it, and she forced her eyes open to meet his piercing gaze. "Sakura," he murmured close to her lips, his dark gaze conveying his intent. "There can be no going back." _Be sure this is what you want_.

Her jade eyes were clear and certain as her fingertips traced his jaw line. "We passed that point a long time ago, Itachi, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life regretting a lost chance."

"This is never meant to last," he whispered.

Her voice was soft and even and sure. "That doesn't mean it's not meant to be."

And then Itachi was kissing her, mouth moving possessively over hers, claiming her. Her fingers gripped into his hair and his arms tightened around her waist, both of them taking greedily whatever could be given as they explored each other with ardent abandon.

Itachi let his weight fall against her and Sakura was vaguely aware he was moving her, steering her until her back hit the wall roughly, all the while never breaking their heated kiss. She made a small murmur of surprise as the cold seeped into her shoulders, but the heat of his body pressing against her front more than made up for it. His hands pushed against her hips, pinning her firmly. The way he handled her was not over-rough yet still completely dominating and she loved it; it made her _want_ to give in to him entirely, and for once in her life, she liked the feeling of being overpowered.

His lips trailed along her jaw, giving her erotic chills as he moved down the side of her neck. Her head fell back against the wall to give him more access to the sensitive skin of her throat. One hand curved around the back of her neck as his teeth grazed her. A shiver of sensation ran through her body and she gasped. He did it again, harder, and she arched into him with a soft moan. Sakura hazily wondered if his neck was as sensitive as hers. Her fingers grasped into the neckline of his shirt and tugged it aside as she moved her mouth along his skin, teeth closing over the tendon. She heard his sharp intake of breath and smirked against his skin, continuing the action. Her mouth pushed against his necklace, teeth and warm metal digging into his skin, leaving red marks. His masculine scent was subtle and enticing, and she breathed deeply to fully take it in. His own hot breath tickled the fine hairs on her neck, and she smiled as the shiver ran down her spine, knowing she was doing the same to him.

Firm hands slid downward and grasped her thighs, moved behind until they were right beneath her rear, and then Itachi effortlessly lifted her legs around his hips and pressed into her roughly, eliciting a surprised moan of pleasure from the woman in his arms. Sakura settled against him and grabbed his hair in both hands, dragging his face up and kissing him heatedly. He supported her weight by pressing her into the rough stone with his hips as his hands slid over her ribs and along the underside of her arms, lifting them up as he went. One hand grasped both of her wrists in a firm hold, pinning them above her head. His free hand slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, the backs of his fingers caressing over her stomach until they dipped under the edge of her bra. Her shirt was lifted up over the top of her breasts, exposing the black lace.

His mouth trailed down her neck again, tongue dipping into the hollow of her throat as he paused to suckle the soft skin there before continuing downward, over the valley between her breasts. Then he began laying soft, wet kisses along the lacy edge of her bra as the hand not holding her wrists palmed her breast, lifting the soft flesh. She felt his hot breath on her sensitized skin as his mouth hovered there, and her breathing became shallow with anticipation.

His lips brushed over her nipple and her head fell back against the wall as she shivered with pleasure. When his teeth closed gently around the hardened peak and his tongue darted across the tip through the thin fabric she gasped and arched into him, hips rising into his in an attempt to bring them closer. She strained against the grip on her wrists, but his strength prevented it. Much to her displeasure he moved back upward, slowly sliding her shirt up as he went until he lifted it over her head, relinquishing his hold on her wrists in the process. Her newly freed hands flew to grasp his head and drag him upward. His mouth returned to hers hungrily, tongue sliding with hers. Carelessly he tossed her shirt aside and pushed his hips between her thighs roughly, pressing her hard into the wall, swallowing her resulting moan with his kiss.

Sakura could feel his arousal as he ground against her, and she rolled her hips to meet him. He once again gripped the backs of her thighs for leverage as his movements became rougher, more insistent as passion began to take control of them both. Suddenly he lifted her higher on his hips, hands sliding under her rear to secure her before swiftly jerking her away from the wall. Her legs locked around him, toned thigh muscles keeping her in place as he slowly walked them backwards to the center of the room. Her hands slid down his back and gripped into the fabric of his shirt, because it was far past time it came off. She jerked it up, fingernails dragging up the muscled planes of his back as she went. Her nails scraped over his skin as the offending material was removed and thrown across the room. She bent her head to kiss the top of his shoulder.

Itachi twisted the clasp of her bra in his fingers and unhooked it smoothly, slid the straps from her shoulders. Sakura lowered her arms and let the lay material drop to the floor. His hands returned to caressing her bare back and she gripped his strong shoulders, pressing into the faded ANBU tattoo that she'd known was there, but never really thought about until now as her fingertips brushed the slightly raised skin. Their mouths met in another searing kiss, his arms pressing her tightly against his muscled chest. The feeling of skin against skin was amazing, their bare torsos pressing together intimately. The small stove glowing in the corner cast the shadow of their embrace against the wall.

Itachi was moving again, slowly walking them toward the bed. He set a knee on the mattress and eased them both down. Only when her back settled onto the soft surface did he break their contact, pressing between her thighs as they unlocked from around his waist. His dark eyes traveled lustfully over her exposed torso, lingering heatedly on her breasts and rosy, hardened nipples.

The predatory hunger in his gaze made heat pool in her core, and her back arched, unconsciously inviting as her breasts lifted with the movement. His fingers trailed over her bare stomach, her muscles quivering under his light touch. Itachi's eyes were fixed on her face, absorbing her reaction as the backs of his fingers moved along the soft underside of her breasts. He cupped her breast and his thumb pushed against her nipple, eliciting a gasp. His lips touched hers teasingly, before moving away and kissing along her throat and across the plane of her chest, moving steadily downward. Sakura warmed in anticipation, her fingers tight in his long hair, which trailed over her ribcage and tickled deliciously. She gasped when his tongue flicked out and circled her hardened nipple. Her nails dug into his back as he sent jolts of pleasure through her entire body with his tongue. Itachi growled faintly and retaliated for her nails by closing his teeth over her nipple hard enough to bring just a tiny bit of pain with the pleasure, making her cry out.

Sakura pouted in protest when he moved off of her and sat up, but stilled as his hands caressed her abdomen and slipped under the waistband of her pants. He undid the buttons and she raised her hips to help him as his eyes followed lustfully over every newly revealed inch of skin. Clad now in only a small scrap of black fabric, Sakura decided it was time to level the playing field. She sat up swiftly and pressed her hands against his chest, down over his tightly muscled abs to the waistband of his pants, forcefully tugging against the button like she intended to rip them off. It wasn't far from the truth. She placed hot, lustful kisses on his neck and chest, teeth nipping with just enough force to cause his sharp intake of breath. He grabbed the back of her hair and pulled her up into a bruising kiss, his tongue demanding entry and seeking to dominate as his other hand assisted her fumbling fingers with the button of his pants.

Itachi leaned into her and forced her back down onto the bed, and though she returned his kiss with equal passion, he was still the one in control. Sakura's head was spinning, and she didn't even realize when or how he'd removed the rest of his clothing, only that he was deliciously naked and that she needed to feel _more_ of him, needed his body pressed against hers, and she squirmed beneath him to try and make it happen.

Itachi wouldn't let her, his hand maintaining its grip on her hair, causing it to pull if she tried to sit up. Instead his calloused fingers brushed over her nipple again, circling and pinching the hardened peak, making her breath come in small, shallow gasps as she wriggled under him. She wanted him _there_, and he wasn't; his body was twisted at an angle between her thighs and the emptiness she felt was driving her mad. He was obviously enjoying every gasp and strangled moan, every pleasured expression.

Sakura refused to beg him, impatiently allowing his sweet torture. His fingers moved over her stomach, traced along the inside of her thigh, ever nearer to her heated center. She quivered and tensed as they ghosted closer and closer, gripping his shoulders in expectation. He touched her through the thin fabric and she closed her eyes with a pleasured gasp. His mouth closed over her nipple, tongue circling and sucking as his fingers moved, and she let out a low, strangled moan. Suddenly he paused, and then roughly jerked the flimsy material over her hips and straight off.

There was nothing between them now, and his fingers found her again, moving in a rhythmic circle. He slipped a finger into her core, continued that slow, torturous pace until her thighs were trembling in ecstasy. It was amazing but it wasn't enough, she needed _more_. Sakura clawed at his shoulders, coaxing him upward. He complied with her silent plea and moved up her body to cover her mouth with his own as he positioned himself over her. With agonizing slowness he eased inside of her, and she moaned and fought the urge to buck upward and take all of him. Then, in one smooth shift of his hips he buried himself, their heated kiss muffling both of their pleasured groans. He pushed hard against her, and she angled her hips upward to take all of him. He set a slow, hard rhythm, as deep as possible with every thrust of his hips, extending every sensation to its maximum. Sakura clung to him and raised her hips to meet each push, pressing open mouthed kisses over his throat as he moved above her.

Itachi slowed and shifted, and without breaking any contact he sat up and lifted her to straddle him. She moved her hips in a slow grind, and Itachi grasped her hips firmly, his need for control taking over as he drove her against him hard. Sakura relinquished control with a heady moan and let him drive her to the edge. The pleasure built to a white-hot intensity and she let her head fall against his neck, panting, nails dragging over his shoulders and breaking skin as the tension finally burst within her. The intense tightening and pulsing around him as she rode out her climax, combined with the stinging pleasure-pain of her nails nearly drove Itachi to the edge as well. Before she could come down from her orgasmic high he slammed her down onto to the bed again, still buried deep inside her, one hand sliding under her thigh and lifting it high up under his shoulder blade as he set a new rhythm. He thrust into her harder and faster than before, driving her body into the mattress.

Sakura's desire only intensified at seeing this unrestrained side of him, knowing it was because of _her_. The intense heat was building again fast, the angle at which he held her hips under his hard, deep thrusts pushing her to the edge faster than she would have thought possible so soon after the first. He captured her lips again and she moaned into his mouth, her teeth sinking into his lower lip and tugging hard enough to make him groan and pull on her hair. Suddenly without much warning, the coil of heat exploded within her and she came again, harder and more intensely than the first time, crying out and bucking hard against him as he slammed into her with low growl. Finally his rhythm broke and he drove into her hard and uncontrolled, and a moment later he gasped harshly as he came with a violent thrust and a shudder, pulsing inside her, the muscles of his back tightening under her clawing fingers.

Itachi released his bruising grip on the back of her thigh and she shakily eased it over his hip. His brow rested against her cheek, his breath heavy against her face and ear as they slowly regained control. She moved her hands over his sweaty back and turned her face into his neck. Finally he moved and settled on his side next to her, one arm behind his head and the other resting lightly over her stomach. Not wanting to speak, not knowing what to say anyway, she laid her palm against the smooth ridges of his stomach and her head on the mattress below his tucked arm. They lay there silently, touching but not smothering.

The burning embers within the stove crackled softly in the silence. A few minutes passed before Itachi stirred and reached for the bedcover, pulling it over both of them as their naked, sweat dampened bodies began to cool. Sakura felt Itachi's gaze on her and looked up. His dark eyes were as calm as she had ever seen them, and she reached up to play softly with a strand of long hair that had fallen against his chest. They lay like that for a while, unfocussed, absently touching, not yet ready to move past what had just happened.

What _had_ just happened? She, Haruno Sakura, respected jounin and high-ranking medic of Konoha, privileged apprentice of the Hokage, had just had mind-blowing sex with Uchiha Itachi, infamous S-class criminal and clan killer, member of one of the most dangerous organizations in the world. And she didn't feel guilty. Truthfully right now she didn't feel much of anything other than completely and thoroughly sated…

But that was beside the point. Thoughts of the consequences drifted vaguely through her mind and disappeared like smoke, and she found that she just couldn't bring herself to be worried about it. It was her natural tendency to analyze and over think, but right now she couldn't do it. She didn't feel any worse for sleeping with Itachi than she did for any of the other things that had happened recently. In fact, the way his fingers were absently moving in circles over her lower abdomen was making her feel warm again deep inside.

Sakura had already agonized over these things, already come to terms with her feelings and made peace with herself. So why was she still trying to make herself feel bad about it?

Because she _should_. She really, really should. Because this—lying here in the afterglow of phenomenal sex with the man that had caused so much pain to people she loved—was a step beyond the blurred line of right and wrong and straight into _wrong_.

Yet it didn't feel that way. She had gained something more than physical satisfaction by being with Itachi like this. Not love, but understanding. She found something she needed that had nothing to do with sex and that she hadn't known was missing, and perhaps so had he. How could that be wrong? She didn't regret it. She _wouldn't_. It didn't matter what anyone else thought. And _that_ was what troubled her. Giving herself to him really had been the point of no return.

Itachi noticed her clouded expression and his head tilted toward hers as his fingers continued to smooth over her soft skin. "Do you regret this?" he asked quietly.

Funny that he would be the one to ask that question. But he wasn't asking out of any sort of concern or anxiety; he was simply curious to know if her resolve hadn't been as firm as she'd said it was. Sakura didn't look up at him, continuing to stare unfixed at some point near his shoulder. "No," she said. "And that's what scares me." He didn't respond or even change his expression, but she knew he understood what she meant. After a moment she asked, "Do you?"

"I regret nothing about my life, Sakura. Including this."

Hesitantly, she asked, "Am I a bad person?"

His brow quirked. "For sleeping with me?" A hint of wry amusement laced his tone.

She gave a weak laugh. "For everything."

"Do you really think I'm qualified to answer that question?"

He had a point. His ideas about morality were not exactly then again…. "Yes," she said, "because you know more about it than most, and you knew me before."

"So you want to know if being here with us for so long has corrupted you."

Sakura nodded.

Itachi thought for a moment before answering, "You are not exactly the same as when we first took you, but not all change is negative. You're not as naïve as you were before, and that has only made you stronger. As far as being good or bad…" he said it like he thought the entire concept was ridiculous, "you are nothing like most of the people I've known since leaving Konoha."

Ambiguous as it was, it answered her question. The backs of his fingers moved against the underside of her breast and caressed over her nipple. It instantly tightened into a hard peak and she closed her eyes with a soft gasp. She arched her back slightly in response to him, all for doing this again. But his fingers did not linger, instead continuing their trail over her breast and up her neck to press against her chin, turning her face toward him. She gazed at him through half lidded eyes and felt a surge of desire at the heat and intent she saw in his gaze. It was clear he was thinking the same thing she was. She slipped her hands around his neck as he leaned in to kiss her.

His tongue moved with hers, and she felt another strong wave of desire that she never would have believed a mere kiss could create until she had kissed him for the first time. He moved over her and pushed her thighs apart, and she widened her legs to welcome him as he settled against her. He was already aroused, she could feel the hard length of him against her, and he clearly didn't intend on waiting. She had no protests; just the _thought_ of another round was turning her on so much that she doubted she could even handle foreplay.

Sakura lifted her hips to rub against him, and in one smooth motion he filled her completely. Their initial overpowering lust had been slaked, and this time it was relaxed and unhurried. He rocked against her in a slow, languid rhythm. She felt the small welts on his back where her nails had broken skin. His lips brushed her throat and his long hair tickled over her chest. It was a slow and steady build to ecstasy, and they came together with kiss-stifled moans, panting into each other's mouths as their bodies came down from the high.

When he moved off her and lay again at her side she didn't hesitate to curl into him, settling her head in the hollow of his shoulder. His fingers played absently with the strands of her hair. Sakura soon drifted off, snuggled against him under the warm blankets.

Itachi remained awake for a while longer, listening to the soft rhythm of her breathing and the crackling of the dying fire. Then, only once she had been asleep for some time, he turned his head so that his nose brushed the top of her fragrant hair and his free arm gently wrapped around her waist as he too drifted to sleep.


	15. Convergence

**Perception**

Chapter Fifteen: Convergence

* * *

Kakashi let his head fall back against the wall with a soft thump and listened to the howling wind outside. For once his book wasn't doing its job of sufficiently distracting him. If he wanted to lie to himself he could say that he'd finally gotten bored of that particular story and needed a new volume. Unfortunately, even if he was good at lying to others, he had never been very good at lying to himself.

He looked half-heartedly around the small room. Tenzou was staring absently at the small central fire. Sai was unenthusiastically sketching, just to occupy himself. And Naruto sat with his elbows hung over his knees and head against the wall much like Kakashi was, eyes closed but definitely not asleep. Team Kakashi had been forced to take cover for the night against the sudden onslaught of driving wind and freezing rain. Luckily they had Tenzou here to create a small wooden shelter or they would be in a miserable situation right now. As it was, the four of them were relatively comfortable, though quiet apprehension hung in the air and no one was in the mood for conversation. They'd all been a bit downcast for the last week or so, and the sense of foreboding grew heavier with each passing day.

For almost three weeks they'd been following a sporadic, unclear trail that they lost several times and only found again by sheer luck. Back at the burned down farmhouse in Earth country they had found the bodies of several hunter nins in the forest and surmised that they were the reason Akatsuki had left. The fighting was in the woods, not at the house itself, so how or why it burned to the ground was still unknown. Perhaps to erase evidence of their occupation, since they left no trail whatsoever. With nothing to go on but a hunch, they went in a general northern direction based on the location of the dead hunters' bodies and the assumption that Akatsuki would want to get out of Earth country, but wouldn't backtrack south and chance running into Team Kakashi. It was pure luck when after three days of fruitless searching, they'd stopped in a town to restock their supplies and heard a rumor about an incident in another town a few miles away. They immediately followed up on the lead and went to the grungy little village on the border.

A tip was sent to Iwa about Akatsuki members at a local inn, and when ANBU had arrived they found the innkeeper who sent the tip dead in his kitchen, and the advance scouts dead in an alley a few blocks away. Kakashi had summoned Pakkun and they searched the inn for any more clues about what had happened. They searched the two rooms and found them hastily exited; beds unmade and unnecessary items left behind, likely indicating they'd fled late at night. The little pug had told him Sakura's scent was all over the bed in one of the rooms, and that she had probably been sleeping in it immediately before the incident. Kakashi hadn't needed to be told; his keen nose could smell her as well, so familiar was her scent. Yet he was extremely relieved to hear Pakkun say that Sakura's scent was clean and she seemed healthy and uninjured. However, Kakashi also noticed—and Pakkun confirmed it—that there was another scent in the room and on the bed, a male one. It was probably the one keeping her under guard, since they were unlikely to leave her alone, but there was only one bed here, and both scents were on it, and despite the logic his gut burned when he thought about it.

Sakura's scent was also in the kitchen, where the innkeeper had been found with his throat cut and the dark blackish stain of blood was still caked all over the floor. Had she seen the entire thing? Knowing Sakura, seeing someone ruthlessly executed right in front of her must have been horrifying. From there the trail had been clear and completely undisguised, confirming their theory that the Akatsuki made a run for it.

They followed it with ease, noting that Akatsuki had been chased by at least two platoons of hunter nins, probably around thirty or forty shinobi. It was amazing they got away at all. Most surprising was that there had been five sets of tracks, one of them smaller and lighter than the rest, meaning that Sakura was running on foot with them. It proved she was healthy and unharmed, because they'd been running fast and hard, but it also meant she was unrestrained and complicit, not using the situation to her advantage to get away. Stone ninja were hostile to outsiders, and Kakashi knew that if she'd escaped in the chaos Stone likely wouldn't have helped her and she may have been no better off than the Akatsuki. Even Team Kakashi had to move with extreme caution to avoid being found by Stone, who would attack first and ask questions later. But it was still strange, especially considering all the other odd clues they found.

At one point the trail had split into two groups, three Akatsuki going in one direction, and Sakura and one other heading elsewhere. There was no scent due to the rain, only faint tracks in the drying mud, and Sakura's trail disappeared half a mile further on when they reached a small river. He sent Pakkun to try and find it again as the rest of them backtracked to follow the other trail. They came upon a battle sight where Akatsuki had turned and made a stand. There was dried blood everywhere in that clearing; it was clear that many shinobi died there that night. The bodies were gone of course; ANBU would have taken them away or disposed of them. The residue of jutsu and the effects caused by them were also in evidence around the area, and the scorched trees and signs of explosions gave them an indication of who the rest of their targets were aside from Uchiha.

The original three sets of tracks led away from the clearing at an unhurried pace, and Kakashi and the others had been following them when Pakkun howled that he'd found something in the same direction they were already heading. A few miles ahead they found the scene of another, smaller battle.

Once again blood covered the ground, and a large gaping crack rent the earth. This troubled them because they recognized it as Sakura's fighting style. Why was Sakura fighting? _Who_ was she fighting? The first possibility was that she turned on her solitary captor once they were far enough away. But that was unlikely; there was too much blood and too many signs of weapon damage to the trees to have been a one-on-one fight. The most probable explanation was that the two of them had been found by hunter nins and Sakura had been forced to protect herself. The thought of her fighting side by side with an Akatsuki was surreal to say the least. Initial curiosity had turned into alarm when Pakkun told them that some of the blood on the ground was Sakura's and that a trail of her blood led away from the battle sight, along with two sets of tracks. So she survived the fight, but had been injured badly enough to leave a clear trail of blood behind her. Sakura's footprints were the heavier ones this time, as though she was helping her Akatsuki guard to walk. They followed the trail to a cave at the bottom of a shallow gorge. There was a clear residue of Sakura's chakra there; she'd healed herself. But Pakkun pointed out that there was also a strong smell of illness, most likely poison, and there was no trace of poison in Sakura's blood. So her captor had been the one poisoned and she had helped him get to this cave. The smell of death was not detectable here, so it was fairly certain that both of them had survived.

Did Sakura heal the poisoned Akatsuki? She didn't like to see anyone suffer, but why in the world would she do something like that? Good thing it was Team Kakashi finding all of these clues, or their kunoichi may have a lot of explaining to do when she got home. They were her teammates and they would keep her out of trouble, but there were a lot of questions forming in their minds and some of them were quite worrying.

The tracks of the other three Akatsuki eventually led to that cave as well, and Sakura was still in their custody when they left. The trail was not as clear this time, but Team Kakashi was still able to follow it. They crossed the border into ungoverned territory and tracked their target across several miles of open moor and lowlands until they came to the small archaic village of Kanna. Kakashi could tell immediately that persons like the Akatsuki, and themselves for that matter, would stand out drastically and gather a lot of attention. All they had to do was ask around.

What they learned was the most disturbing information yet. According to the locals, ten days before Team Kakashi arrived, four armed and dangerous looking men had come to town, and they were guarding a young, pretty female with exotic looks. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they were. They were directed to the inn the group stayed at, but the old matron had been extremely reluctant to talk to them. She seemed to think Team Kakashi was out to hurt Sakura, and they had had to give detailed descriptions of Sakura and the Akatsuki before they convinced her they weren't enemies. What she told them once convinced had left them stunned.

The old woman had been under the impression that the Akatsuki were Sakura's bodyguards, and that they were highly protective and fond of her. This was likely just the old woman seeing things the way she wanted to see them, but logic dictated that there had to be some truth there for her to interpret things so positively. She'd shown them the rooms, but the scents were gone, since unlike the shabby inn from before, these were cleaned daily. They did learn that Sakura—who the woman kept referring to as The Lady—had had her own room. They learned that not only was she unrestrained, she had been interactive, talking and laughing with her "escorts" and even going on what the matron called "an outing"' with one of them. A couple of local shop owners confirmed they saw Sakura in the company of a handsome young blond man and that the two had been laughing and enjoying each other's company, that they seemed to be close friends and even a bit flirtatious. That wasn't like Sakura at all, at least not toward her enemies. She had a vicious temper and should have been openly hostile even if she wasn't actively trying to escape at every moment.

Before they left the inn, the matron dropped a final bomb on them. On their last night in town, Sakura and her "escorts" had been down in the common lounge relaxing and enjoying themselves, until The Lady became ill and had to retire. Since the "lounge" was little more than a fancy bar, the truth of Sakura's "illness" was probably that she'd gotten drunk, and the old woman was too old-fashioned and enamored of Sakura to accept what she was really seeing. The fact that Sakura would calmly sit in a bar drinking with Akatsuki was alarming, but the worst of it was the report that the same blond man she'd gone around town with had "gently" and "protectively" carried Sakura to her room in his arms, and it was clear to the woman's "experienced old eyes" that the boy "cared for" The Lady. That little piece of information had set Kakashi's insides burning, and sent Naruto into a full-on tirade of confused questions and angry speculation.

#

"_What the hell is going on?" Naruto exclaimed as they left the inn, his tone a mixture of confusion and outrage. _

_Kakashi didn't answer, his mind racing with the disturbing images and information they'd gathered. Naruto took his team leader's silence as a cue to keep ranting._

"_I mean, isn't it strange that Sakura-chan isn't being restrained anymore? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they aren't hurting her, but…why isn't she trying to run away? It makes no sense!"_

"_It makes _some_ sense," said Sai. "Sakura knows she wouldn't stand much chance of getting away from four Akatsuki, and the more she tries to fight them, the more likely they would be to use force."_

"_Not to mention she would have a hard time traveling alone through Earth country. Since she's obviously not being ill-treated, she's probably playing it smart and waiting, knowing we're coming for her," Yamato added. _

"_Well, okay," Naruto conceded. "But _why_ isn't she being ill-treated? I'm glad she's not, but these are Akatsuki we're talking about. Also, what about what we found in the woods a few days ago? Sakura-chan was fighting Stone ninja side-by-side with one of the Akatsuki. I get that she probably had no choice, but what about what we found in that cave, huh? She most likely healed the Akatsuki that got poisoned! What's up with that? She should have used the fact that the others were separated from them to escape…"_

_Kakashi spoke finally. "Then she would have been alone, injured, and out of chakra in the middle of hostile territory with dozens of squads patrolling every square mile for Akatsuki. She would have been found and killed, and if she hadn't, then the other three Akatsuki would have eventually tracked her down and then they _would_ hurt her, Naruto. Sakura weighed the options and chose what would keep her safe." _

"_But then why did she heal that Akatsuki?" Naruto repeated._

_Kakashi sighed. "I don't know. The important thing is that Sakura is okay. Whatever else happened can be figured out later."_

_Naruto wasn't satisfied. "Then we come here, and people are telling us that Sakura-chan is _friendly_ with those guys? And then that one guy…" His eyes narrowed as he finally realized what his teammates had already figured out. "Hey…there's only one blond guy in Akatsuki…that Deidara asshole! I still want to tear him apart for what he did to Gaara! And now he's helping to hold Sakura hostage! And…and she's running around town with him like they're friends, and he's carrying her up to her room like he gives a damn about her…something really messed up is going on! I mean…what is Sakura-chan _doing_?" _

"_I said I don't know, Naruto." Kakashi snapped, more harshly than he meant to. Naruto ran his hands through his spiky blond hair and turned away with a sigh. _

_Kakashi hadn't meant to snap, but the continuous reiterating of disturbing information was driving him crazy. He knew Naruto still looked to him for advice and guidance when things got difficult; he was his former sensei and had been his team leader for years. But damn it, he didn't have an answer for everything. He was as confused by all of this as Naruto. Perhaps more so, given his feelings about Sakura. _

_Yamato, ever the natural mediator, took charge of the situation. "Let's find a place to stay for the night, and we can head out first thing in the morning."_

_Quiet and somber, the four men began to walk in search of lodging for the night. The one they just came out of wasn't considered for obvious reasons. _

_#_

That was three days ago, and since then they'd been following the scant trail only with the help of the ninken. The terrain was rocky and bare, not to mention extremely windy, so footprints were difficult to find and didn't last long. The only good news was that the trail had stopped circling, and the tracks and scents were getting fresher. They were catching up; maybe two or three days behind. It had been clear for some time that they were being led to a certain place, away from outside interference, and it appeared as though the Akatsuki had reached their final destination and had stopped moving. They were waiting for them.

Kakashi wondered if Sasuke was out there, somewhere not far off. They knew he was on the trail as well; twice Pakkun had caught Sasuke's scent. They continued to follow Sakura because she was who they had come for. Naruto was troubled but understood; Sakura was more important than Sasuke and their original mission right now. Their goal was to get Sakura back safe, and keep Naruto from ending up in Akatsuki hands. But after their main objective was complete, if they had a shot at getting to Sasuke they would have to take it or they may never find him again.

There was also no way in hell that Naruto, or Sakura for that matter, would turn and go home without doing everything to make sure Sasuke came with them.

Kakashi listened to the wind howl outside their shelter and couldn't help but feel as though they were all being moved by some invisible hand, that it was somehow meant to happen like this.

Now they had three days, two if they got lucky, until they would finally bring this to an end.

* * *

Sakura burrowed deeper under the warm covers and slowly opened her eyes. Her groggy, sleep-fogged brain quietly registered that this was not her room or her bed. A moment later her memory kicked in and her lips curled in a sleepy smile. She rolled onto her back and looked at the space beside her. It was empty.

She should have expected as much. Itachi was a light sleeper, if he slept at all, and he was always up very early. It was silly to think he might lie in bed and cuddle with her until she woke up like a normal man would. At least he hadn't woken her up and sent her back to her own room. He'd even rebuilt the fire in the stove for her, though her clothes were still carelessly strewn about the room. Flashes of last night flooded her mind and she rolled and pressed her face into the pillow, grinning.

As much as she wanted to stay there, warm and cozy in Itachi's bed, she knew it wasn't a good idea. When she sat up the cool rush of air on her naked skin gave her goose bumps. She threw her clothes on, made the bed as an afterthought, and then cautiously opened the door and peered down the hallway. After confirming the coast was clear she closed the door and quickly made her way back to her own room.

What would the other Akatsuki think if they saw her coming out of Itachi's room, obviously just having woken? Kisame already knew something was going on between them but she didn't know if he'd said anything to anyone else. Thankfully they couldn't have heard anything because the walls were solid stone.

Sakura grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bath. She didn't know why she was so nervous about the others finding out. She wasn't ashamed or embarrassed, but because it was so complicated and unexpected she just didn't feel like advertising it. Especially not before she knew how Itachi was going to act toward her. It was unlikely that anything would change in front of the others, so she would have to wait until they were alone again.

After getting dressed she headed for the kitchen to see if she could find something to eat. She entered it to find everyone at the table finishing breakfast. They all looked up when she came in, and Itachi's eyes lingered on hers for a long, pulse quickening moment before returning to the scroll he was reading.

"Morning, Sakura-san!" Tobi greeted cheerfully. "You sure slept in. Were you up late?"

Sakura schooled her expression. "Not too late," she replied nonchalantly. She could have sworn she heard Kisame snicker into his coffee mug. _Great. _She glanced at Deidara, who wasn't looking at her, his expression guarded and unreadable. That meant he probably knew too, and wasn't nearly as amused as the shark. Itachi certainly hadn't said anything. Did she have a freaking sign over her head or what?

"There's food on the stove," Kisame informed her, lips curling in a pointy-toothed smirk. He was clearly enjoying himself this morning.

She went to fix herself a plate, then sat next to Tobi and poured a cup of strong coffee, trying to act as normal as possible. Her eyes met Itachi's briefly and she could see the dark amusement in them.

After a minute Kisame said, "I bet a month ago you didn't think you'd ever be sitting around the breakfast table with us, eh?"

"No. And I'm sure you didn't either," she said wryly. "I assume it wouldn't go over any better on your side than it would on mine."

He grinned."Probably not. But it's all good in the end. As long as it doesn't affect our mission, what happens here stays here."

Sakura understood his double meaning perfectly, and so did everyone else, except for Tobi who still had no idea what was going on. She regarded Kisame a long moment before giving a small nod. "Right," she said, and went back to her meal.

The rest of the morning was spent being generally lazy. There wasn't much to do, and the fortress wasn't meant for recreation, so they sat around in the common room talking. After lunch they went down to the underground training facility and started up some taijutsu sparring matches out of sheer boredom.

Sakura finally got her wish to see Deidara fight without his explosive clay when she was partnered with him in a match. He was a lot better than she expected, and he nearly knocked her on her ass in the first minute. _Of course _he was amazing; he was an S-ranked missing nin, and just because he primarily used long-range tactics didn't mean he was lacking anywhere else. She'd nearly forgotten that he was the one who'd sent her flying back several feet into a brick wall when they fought in the town square all those weeks ago. With mild chakra-enhanced strength on her part they were nearly even, but Deidara outdid her in actual combat experience and he was amazingly fast. He eventually overpowered her and pinned her to the ground.

He helped her up again and they laughed it off before sitting down to watch Kisame and Itachi in their sparring match. Sakura was relieved that Deidara didn't seem to be upset with her. She had no reason to think he would be, but she sensed that he wasn't keen about her and Itachi. Maybe it was simply because he didn't like Itachi, but whatever it was, she was glad it didn't affect things between them.

* * *

Sakura hadn't had an opportunity to be alone with Itachi all day, and they hadn't exchanged more than a few words. But he wasn't distant like before, and she occasionally felt him watching her, and when she met his eyes across the room she always felt a slight thrill and got the distinct impression that when she _did_ see him alone she was going to enjoy it.

However, for all the underlying intent she read in that hypnotic gaze, when nightfall came he was nowhere to be found. After dinner Sakura and the other three sat around the kitchen table as they had taken to doing, and when she said goodnight she went to her room without ever running into Itachi. She lay on her bed for a long while, thinking about it, and eventually came to the realization that Itachi was still Itachi, and he probably wasn't going to seek out her company just for the sake of being with her. He was not a social or emotionally open person, and no matter how un-cold and passionate he was when they were alone together, some things would never change.

Deciding to take a chance, she got up and moved quietly down the drafty corridor until she stood before Itachi's door. Knocking would make too much noise, so she carefully let her chakra flare out so that he would know it was her and then opened the door. She closed it behind her soundlessly and looked around the dark room. Itachi appeared to be asleep; his back was toward her and the low light of the stove flickered and played across his bare shoulders. He wasn't really asleep, she knew, but he didn't acknowledge her presence.

If she was unwelcome he would have said so, so she quietly stripped to her tank top and shorts. She quickly moved to the bed and slipped under the covers before the cold air could seep into her exposed skin, and tentatively curled up behind Itachi. She could see the raised and reddened skin on his back and shoulders where her nails had dug in to him last night. In some places she'd even drawn a little blood and small scabs had formed. He deserved it for stirring up so much sexual tension between them for weeks.

There was no way he was asleep, but he still didn't move or speak to her, simply allowed her to curl against him. Allowing it was something at least, so she gently laid one hand against his side and closed her eyes as his scent and the warmth of his body and the bed filled her senses and made her drowsy.

Sakura was half asleep when she finally felt him stir, and the next thing she knew he had rolled over and pinned her beneath him. She opened sleepy eyes and met his dark, smoldering gaze with a tiny smile. No words were spoken between them. Itachi's fingers trailed lightly across her jaw and she slid her hands up his hard chest and clasped her fingers behind his neck. He lowered his head to capture her lips in a slow kiss, and she blissfully surrendered to the pleasure that kiss promised.

When the morning came she was pleasantly surprised to find Itachi still there, his chest against her back and his arm wrapped snugly around her from behind. Sakura lay still, enjoying the feeling of his warm body curled against hers and his breath on the back of her neck. After a few minutes she turned over and he stirred slightly, his arm loosening to allow her movement but not releasing her. She saw that he was awake, had been perhaps even before she was, and she gave him a tiny smile in greeting. His expression remained calm and stoic, but his hand came up and twirled around a lock of her pink hair as he watched her sleepy face.

Sakura didn't feel the need to say anything and simply tucked herself against his chest as his arm settled around her again. Words would only get in the way and complicate. There was no need to talk about what was happening anymore; they had come to a mutual, unspoken agreement to simply take whatever the other offered and enjoy what little time they had left.

* * *

Sasuke walked to the entrance of the cave and stood beside the concentrating kunoichi. The evening was cold and crisp; it would snow sometime tonight. He crossed his cloaked arms to block the biting wind and waited impatiently. A few moments later Karin opened her eyes and lowered her hands back to her sides.

He stared at her expectantly.

She turned to face him. "I found them. They're about fifty miles northeast of here. Their chakra is muted and dim…it's possible they're underground or behind really dense stone," the redhead explained.

Sasuke nodded faintly. "How many?"

"Five. Just as we thought. One of them is most likely the medic by the feel of the chakra." She pronounced 'medic' with slight distaste, not enthusiastic about what she knew of said medic's identity. The chakra specialist wasn't happy about _anyone_ from Sasuke's past resurfacing, especially not one of the female variety.

"Northeast…they're up in the mountains, then. Based on the terrain difficulty, and providing the weather doesn't get worse, we should find them in two days," he stated, more to himself than anyone else.

After nearly a month since finding the wreckage in that town in Grass, they were finally catching up. They were close enough now for Karin to detect their quarry. Even if it snowed, they would be able to find them with her unique ability. In the end, bringing her along had been worth the headaches and irritation. Following his brother and the other Akatsuki this far had been quite difficult, and Sasuke had to admit, only to himself of course, that he probably wouldn't have been able to do it without Karin's special technique. He turned to head back into the warmth of the cave, but Karin's voice made him pause.

"I noticed something else that was rather peculiar, Sasuke-kun. The medic's chakra is remarkably strong and healthy for a hostage…especially considering who has her."

"So?" Unusual, yes, but it wasn't a _bad_ thing that Sakura was unhurt.

"Also, her chakra is moving around and mingling freely with the other four signatures."

"So what you're saying is that Sakura isn't being confined, and that she's interacting with them."

Karin nodded. "Seems that way. Strange don't you think, Sasuke-kun? From what I've heard the Akatsuki aren't the nicest people…I wonder what she's doing mixing with them like that. There's something strange about it if you ask me."

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her attempt to be manipulative. He knew what her problem was, and what she was trying to do. It was just another of the many things that he found ridiculous about her. If her abilities weren't so useful he would have ditched her a long time ago.

Her words did make him stop and think, though. He didn't know much about Sakura's situation as his brother's hostage. Whenever they tracked the Akatsuki into a town, they followed their tracks and what they could find of a chakra residue, and only occasionally asked the local population how long ago they'd left. He didn't care about what Itachi was doing, only where he was and how long it would take to find him. But perhaps his single-mindedness had been a mistake. He could have missed important information about where they were going or the condition they were in, as well as the identities of the other two Akatsuki with Itachi and his partner. Though he was fairly certain one of them was Deidara by the many signs of explosions they had come across as they tracked them across three countries.

As far as Sakura was concerned, he couldn't say that he hadn't thought about what she may be going through. He knew they wouldn't kill her as long as they needed her for their plans, but he also knew well from his time Sound just how much could be done to a person without killing them. Thinking about it only fueled his anger and determination to put an end to his brother once and for all. But if Karin was right, Sakura wasn't being treated like a normal prisoner—more like an unwilling houseguest. What _could_ she be doing? He didn't care if she was fraternizing with enemies of Konoha, he was in no place to judge when it came to that sort of thing. But it involved his brother, the man who massacred his entire family. He didn't want to think about the possibility that Sakura might be anything other than completely hateful and hostile toward Itachi.

Would he consider it a betrayal? He didn't know. A betrayal of what, exactly? Sasuke had no right to expect Sakura to respect old bonds of friendship or loyalty when he hadn't done the same. It was just that she'd always believed in him, Naruto too, and deep down he wanted to be able to count on that. It made him feel better to know it, even if he gave nothing in return. He had always been selfish.

If he survived what was coming perhaps he would get a chance to rectify some of his past mistakes, at least where Naruto and Sakura were concerned. Sasuke knew he would see them both very soon. When he first heard about his brother's plan to lure Naruto using Sakura as bait, he'd been wary that if he ran into his old teammates again they would interfere with his goal by trying to take him back to Konoha. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to go back. He _couldn't_. He could never rest, could never live a real life until his past with Itachi was resolved. The ghosts of his clan would haunt him until he did. But now, with that day approaching fast, he was almost glad that Naruto would likely show up for the battle, because four Akatsuki were a bit much to handle with just the three of them. Karin and Suigetsu were good, but not that good. Sasuke needed to be free of distractions in order to take on his brother.

Would Naruto even help him this time? Would Sakura? He'd always thought they would get in the way or somehow try to interfere with his right to vengeance. But if they hated him now like they had every right to, they may just stand aside and watch him die. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. He didn't want their assistance in fighting his brother, that duty was his and his alone. But a part of him still wanted to count on their support.

"It looks like it's going to be awfully cold tonight, Sasuke-kun…maybe we should share a sleeping bag and snuggle for body heat…"

Karin's over-sugared, suggestive tone brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced at the simpering, obsessed kunoichi with a look that clearly said 'I'd rather freeze,' before turning and walking back into the cave.

"Are you ever gonna figure out that Sasuke _doesn't want you_, Karin? And you call _me_ stupid." Suigetsu sneered at her as they reached the back of the cave.

"Fuck you, Suigetsu! I hope you die of hypothermia!" Karin plopped down on the rocky floor and pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

"Likewise, bitch."

Sasuke gave them both a dark look and they ceased. He sat down on the opposite side of the fire from the pouting kunoichi and stared into the flames. He would be glad when this was all over.


	16. Before the Dawn

**Perception**

Chapter Sixteen: Before the Dawn

* * *

Sakura sat on the old leather sofa in front of the massive stone fireplace in the base's common room, reading one of the old books she'd found on the shelf in the corner. It was about the history of the military in this country, which was quite old and had once been part of a large empire long ago. There was no longer a military or a government here, and the old fortress they were in was used by border patrols after that. Judging by the look of the place and the worn state of the furniture, Sakura guessed it had been abandoned about fifty years ago. She had no idea how long Akatsuki had been using it as one of their many safehouses.

A tear in the stiff old leather poked into her back, and she shifted uncomfortably and glanced up at Kisame. The pale light of mid-afternoon through the small, dingy window outlined his large frame in a wintry blue glow. He'd somehow managed to rig up the broken pool table into basic functionality and he was currently playing against himself. It was rather amusing to watch because it was still a bit lopsided and the balls kept rolling out of place, drawing muttered curses from him every few minutes. This was the end result of extreme boredom, and she was kind of surprised he wasn't down in the training room trying to get everyone to fight him. They were all bored, restless, and in Sakura's case, full of anxiety.

They'd been here for a week with nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait for the battle that was coming. No one talked about it, but it tainted every conversation, every look sent her way. Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. As much as she didn't want it to happen, she wished it would just _happen_ already so she could figure out what to do with the rest of her life.

Kisame swore at the table again. Sakura sighed and returned to her book. She was halfway down the page when she felt someone behind her and a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up and smiled at Deidara as he walked around and flopped on the couch beside her.

"How can you read that boring stuff?" He slouched down into the cushions and threw his arms over the back of the couch.

She shrugged. "It's interesting…kind of." Deidara stared at her blankly, and she gave a small laugh. "Okay, it's boring as hell, but what else am I supposed to do?"

"You could play pool with Kisame," he suggested, grinning over his shoulder at the frustrated giant.

Kisame tried to compensate for the lean in the table and overshot his mark, sending the ball flying across the room with a series of bangs and profanity. "I think I'll pass," she chuckled. "He looks like he's about to break that table in half, and I don't want to be standing next to it when he does."

"At least it would be entertaining," Deidara sighed, pulling one knee up to his chest. "Not like some irrelevant old history book."

Sakura smiled. "I'm a medic. It's not the most boring thing I've ever read by far, trust me. Besides, there's no such thing as too much knowledge."

"Oh yes there is. I bet I could tell you a whole lot of things you'll wish you'd never heard, yeah."

"Now _that_ would be entertaining. I'm sure you're full of all sorts of disturbing information." Sakura laughed. Deidara just smiled deviously. "Where's Tobi been all day?"

"Out scouting the area," he said after a hesitant pause.

Sakura's face fell a little. There was only one thing he would be scouting for. "Oh," she said quietly, and they left it at that. She went back to halfheartedly reading, and several minutes passed before she felt him watching her. She looked up curiously and met his piercing blue eyes. "What?"

He watched her another moment, then shook his head. "Nothin," he murmured, and turned his gaze to the fire.

Sakura didn't push him for an answer, and returned to the book. Her reading had become mechanical now, and she wasn't really absorbing what her eyes were scanning. The jagged flap from the torn leather was poking again, and she scooted closer to Deidara. When he showed no reaction, she decided to scoot over all the way and sit right next to him, her shoulder under the arm still hanging over the back of the couch, her side pressing against his.

Deidara did look at her then, and she gave him a small smile. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, giving up on the book and watching the fire instead. They sat like that for a while, until they heard a loud growl of annoyance from the shark's direction.

"Oh, fuck it!" The table went crashing into the wall, knocking the books out of the bookshelf in the process. The two on the couch watched the chaos with a mixture of surprise and amusement before bursting into laughter when Kisame proceeded to smash the offending table to pieces with Samehada. It was a while before Sakura could stop laughing, and she rested her forehead on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Hey," Deidara said quietly.

"Hm?" she murmured, eventually raising her head to look at him.

"Let's go outside."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. I'm so bored I'm about to start blowing shit up. It's probably best to leave the building for that. Come on," he said, standing up. She stood as well and adjusted her cloak. They were just turning to leave when Itachi entered the room.

Sakura hadn't seen much of him today. On the surface not much appeared to have changed, and it never would. Itachi and public displays of affection were such contrasting concepts that she would probably fall over in a dead faint if they ever coincided. But what she read in his eyes as he walked by was enough to make her stomach flutter. He walked over to where his partner stood, glanced at the pile of crumbling books and the wooden debris that had once been a billiards table. The 'what the fuck?' look he gave Kisame made Sakura giggle quietly behind her hand.

"Kisame, there is a matter we must discuss privately," Itachi said. Kisame nodded, and with a last scathing look at the obliterated table, they turned to leave.

Before they reached the door, Tobi burst haphazardly through another one on the far side of the room, breathing heavily. He'd clearly rushed back from wherever he had been. "They're coming," he panted.

Sakura went cold. Dread flooded through her and settled into a clenching knot in her stomach. Deidara tensed behind her as the entire room filled with the weight of Tobi's announcement.

"Which one?" Itachi asked, his voice betraying nothing.

"Both of them. All of them, rather. The jinchuuriki and his teammates are about sixty miles from here, and another group of shinobi is even closer. It must be your little brother, Itachi-san. At least one of the groups will be here sometime in the morning, and the other will probably arrive no later than midday."

It became very quiet after that, the silence heavy with foreboding.

After several long, tense moments, Itachi quietly said, "Very well. Tomorrow it is." He met Sakura's eyes and held them, everything and nothing passing between them. Then he turned and walked through the door. Kisame followed after his partner.

Sakura stared vacantly at nothing. Tomorrow. It would all end tomorrow. Tomorrow, someone she cared about may die. She felt sick; the waves of anxiety raced through her body and made her dizzy.

Deidara saw her frame visibly wilt as she brought a hand to her temple. She was shaking. "Hey…" He grabbed her shoulders gently to steady her. "Are you—?"

"Of course I'm not alright!" she snapped, jerking out of his grasp.

"Sakura…"

His concern only made her feel worse, and guilty for snapping at him. He shouldn't be concerned for her and vice versa. They should be enemies. Not friends. Not concerned for each other's wellbeing. Not…

"Sorry," she muttered, wilting again. Deidara didn't reach out this time, though his expression remained troubled. "I just…I don't feel very well. I think I'll go lie down."

"Do you need anything?"

She laughed morosely. She needed a lot of things, primarily a way to stop this impending calamity. "No…." she muttered, walking away listlessly. "I just need to be alone for a while."

Deidara watched her go with a troubled frown. He sighed heavily and looked over at his partner, the only other person left in the room. Tobi looked utterly dejected, upset to be the bearer of such bad news.

Deidara doubted any of them still thought of this as good news. A month ago they would have been sadistically excited. After all, he still had a grudge against the Copy Ninja and the jinchuuriki from their last encounter. But it was no longer the case. And it was all because of the petite, pink haired girl currently walking depressed through the halls.

What had she done to them?

* * *

A few hours later Sakura woke from a fitful, restless sleep. She'd come back to her room after the ominous announcement and lay on her bed, refusing to think about anything, letting herself simply lie there miserably and stare at the coals burning in the heater until she eventually dozed off.

She slowly got up from the bed. There was no use hiding in here, it wouldn't change anything. Tomorrow her entire life would change, for better or worse. She wanted this to be a night she would always remember fondly, no matter what the morning may bring.

Quietly making her way down the corridor, she felt a presence nearby and soon heard soft footsteps moving steadily toward her. She unconsciously slowed her steps in anticipation. Itachi rounded the corner and met her gaze, holding it as he neared her. He paused before her and she looked up at him with a hopeful, expectant expression. His dark eyes traveled over her features like a caress, and he reached out to wrap an arm around her and enclose her between himself and the wall. He leaned in and lowered his head to her neck, breathing in the scent of her hair and skin before pressing his lips just below her ear.

Sakura sighed and moved her settled her hands on his waist. He cupped the side of her face and kissed her. She let him take her away from everything, forgetting all her fears for just a moment. Sensual but not lustful, it was a kiss purely for the sake of kissing. A surprise, coming from him, and she wondered if perhaps this was his own small way of comforting her.

Itachi ended the kiss and grazed his lips along the shell of her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "Come to me tonight," he murmured, pulling back slightly to look into her eyes.

Sakura laughed inwardly. To frame a request in the form of a command—that was just like him. She nodded a silent promise. He really needn't have asked, because she would have gone anyway. He captured her lips again in another lingering kiss before pulling away and casually walking down the hall. She took a deep breath and pushed off from the wall with a small smile, and continued on in the opposite direction.

* * *

Sakura entered the large common room and was halfway across when she stopped in her tracks.

Kisame and Deidara were there, calmly and efficiently preparing their weapons. Kisame had Samehada unwrapped and was checking the teeth. Deidara had his clay pouches open in front of him, and was busy sharpening a few kunai. They were readying for battle.

Of course they were. What did she expect them to do? They certainly weren't going to pace the floor and become a nervous wreck like her. They _wanted_ this to happen. It was their whole reason for being here. They were probably excited about it.

They both looked up and stopped what they were doing when she came in. No one spoke. What could really be said?

The calm and pleasant mood Itachi had put her in vanished. When Sakura looked at those weapons she saw them covered in the blood of her loved ones. She wasn't angry or blameful; they were just trying to complete their mission and defend their lives. But the abstract idea she had known all along had now become a hard and brutal reality.

Tomorrow, blood would be shed. Tomorrow, people would die.

Sakura couldn't look at them anymore. She needed to get away from them and their tools of death. She turned her face away and quickly continued through the room and into the kitchen.

The two men watched her go and then looked at each other, at a loss about what to say, or even what to think. A moment after she disappeared through the doorway they slowly, almost reluctantly, went back to their battle preparations.

* * *

Sakura slumped at the table and put her head in her hands. Echoes of rustling within the pantry reached her ears, and after a few moments Tobi emerged with an armful of various things to make for dinner.

He set the items on the counter. "Are you okay, Sakura-san?"

Sakura exhaled heavily. "No, Tobi. I'm really not."

Tobi came to her side and gently placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Tobi understands. Would you like some tea?"

She nodded faintly. "Thank you." She wished they would all stop being so nice to her, it was only making it worse.

Tobi came back with the tea and set it on the table. She thanked him again quietly and he went back to the other side of the kitchen. She still didn't know much of anything about him, and she never would because after tomorrow, they would likely never meet again. Their dysfunctional little family would break apart forever after tonight.

A little while later Deidara came in, and paused when he saw Sakura. He took a cautious seat next to her, as though he expected her to be angry or lash out again. She gave him a small, forced smile and offered the extra cup from the tea tray. He poured himself a cup, and they sat without speaking. Several minutes passed before Kisame came in and wandered to the back of the kitchen where Tobi was, and the two of them made their best attempts at cooking, which wasn't saying much. Itachi joined them half an hour later and they all sat down for what would be their last meal together.

The meal was simple, as was the conversation. Everyone kept the mood light, but there was a sense of bittersweet finality to everything that was said, every smile and look. The dark shadow of _tomorrow_ hung over them like an invisible cloud. After a while, near the end of their meal, they ran out of frivolous things to say and the table became very quiet and somber. Kisame got up and returned a moment later with a large bottle of sake. He fixed his silver gaze on Sakura.

"Well, Princess. I guess this is it, huh?" He flashed a pointy-toothed grin.

"I guess it is," she said wistfully.

"Have a drink with me."

"Did you forget what happened last time?" She took the filled cup he offered.

The shark nin chuckled. "I won't be drinking much tonight. Got a busy day tomorrow."

Sakura's smile wavered.

"It'll be a great battle. One for the books probably, and we'll all be proud to have been part of it someday."

"Proud? You could die tomorrow, you know," she said flatly.

He shrugged. "Of course I know it. We all know. None of us are afraid to die, Princess. Any shinobi who's afraid of death isn't worthy of the name. What better way to go down than in an epic battle that will be remembered long after we're gone, right?"

"That's right," Deidara added. "If we have to die, we may as well go out with a bang, yeah."

That made her smile, albeit against her will.

"You do what you gotta do, girlie, and so will we. I won't take it personally," said Kisame.

She nodded somberly and downed her sake.

Kisame refilled it for her. "I have to say it's been interesting, this whole ordeal. I don't think any of us will be forgetting it for a long time. You're a hell of a kunoichi, and whatever happens tomorrow or after, I'm glad I got to know you."

Sakura gave a faint smile. "I'm glad too."

Tobi suddenly leaned over and threw his arms around her. "We'll never forget you, Sakura-san!" he cried. "Tobi will miss you!"

She returned the hug with a bittersweet smile. "I'll miss you too, Tobi."

Eventually coaxing him into letting go so she could breathe properly, Sakura blinked several times and finally met Itachi's eyes across the table. He was remarkably calm and peaceful for a man about to enter a battle to the death with his own brother. She wondered what he would be like later, when they were alone. He'd asked her to come to him, something she thought he'd never do. The fatalistic mood that had filled the fortress all day seemed to have caused a change in him. He seemed almost…acceptant.

Kisame convinced everyone else to join in their little farewell celebration, and the five of them spent the next few hours creating memories to take away with them when it was over.

#

Later that night after they all went their separate ways, Sakura wandered into the common room to retrieve her scarf, which she'd forgotten earlier.

Deidara was there, alone, standing before the massive fireplace watching the blaze. The rest of the room was dark, and he seemed isolated in a vast black space. He looked up when she approached, blue eyes following her as she retrieved her scarf from the back of the couch and moved to stand beside him.

They watched the flames in silence for a few minutes. Then, her voice small and sad, she said, "You know…I don't think I'll be able to forgive you if you kill me tomorrow."

Deidara stared at her with a slightly offended frown, but she wouldn't look away from the flames. He sighed heavily. "I'm not going to kill you, Sakura. No one wants to see you get hurt from this."

She gave a bitter laugh. "No, you just want to kill the people I love most in the world."

Her beautiful eyes burned into Deidara, filled with accusation and fear and hurt, but he didn't look away. He didn't respond; truthfully he could think of nothing appropriate to say. He was angry at Itachi for bringing her into this. Angry at Leader for putting them in a position where they had to resort to desperate measures. Angry at himself for getting involved and close enough to care about any of it. Close enough to care about _her_. For just a moment he wished they'd never let her out of that room to wander free among them all those weeks ago. That way she would still hate them and they wouldn't give a damn about her, and this wouldn't be so inexplicably hard.

The thought only lasted a moment, because looking at her now, Deidara knew he would never trade or regret what had come to be.

Sakura looked away from him. "I know it's not your fault. It's just…I feel like I'm already grieving…and I don't even know for whom." Her lip trembled slightly as her pent up emotions finally broke free, rebellious tears leaking unwanted from her eyes as they stared unseeing at the fire. She blinked several times and wiped at them irritably. "Sorry," she muttered, angry with herself for losing her composure.

Deidara's heart wrenched at her distress, but he was amazed by her inner strength as well. Once again he was at a loss. He wasn't good at this sort of thing. He had never cared enough to try. "Don't be," he said quietly. "I can't even imagine what this must be like for you."

"Deidara…"

"Hm?"

Sakura turned and flung her arms around him. "I'm really going to miss you," she whispered into the curve of his neck.

Momentarily stunned, he simply stood there, arms raised hesitantly, before he finally brought them around her. She was trembling slightly, trying to hold in her emotions. She sniffled softly, and he cautiously brought his hand up to cradle her head, letting her cry into his chest as his fingers smoothed through her soft hair. "I know…me too."

Deidara was confused as hell right now. He wanted to comfort her, but he'd lived in a violent world for so long he didn't know how to handle things like this. And he was wary that any moment Itachi could walk through the door and try to kill him without asking questions first. On second thought, Itachi could go to hell. He seriously doubted she showed this kind of vulnerability in front of Uchiha, because he would think less of her for it. If Sakura somehow found him to be a comforting presence, Deidara wouldn't push her away, even if he had to deal with the consequences later.

Her arms tightened around his back and Deidara reciprocated, holding her as close as he dared, fully knowing it was the only time he ever would.

Sakura held on tightly, not wanting to accept that tomorrow she would have to let him go forever. He had become very important to her. Her bond with Deidara was special because he understood her better than the others. Itachi was her lover, and there was an undeniable connection between them. But Deidara was her friend, and she would miss him terribly when he was gone.

She finally loosened her hold, though she didn't let go, and pulled back with a small sniffle. His hand moved from her hair to join the other around her back, fingers unconsciously tightening and pulling her closer.

Deidara watched her with an intensity she had never felt from him before. Her stomach fluttered, for though she had never seen him look at her this way, she knew it for what it was. Something stirred within her, something that was best left unexplored. Had it happened earlier, before everything, Sakura may have welcomed this turn…but it was too late now, and things were going to get very complicated very quickly if they continued to stand there with their arms around each other.

Slowly Sakura disentangled herself, surprised at her reluctance to do so, and his arms returned to his sides as if he was thinking the exact same thing. Unwilling to just walk away and leave things so unresolved between them, she looked up at him and smiled, which he eventually returned with a small, ironic smirk.

"Thank you so much for everything, Deidara," she said softly. On a final impulsive indulgence, she leaned in and placed a soft kiss near the corner of his mouth, lingering just a second too long to be entirely innocent. "Goodnight," she whispered, stepping away at last.

"Goodnight," he returned quietly. She turned and walked away, scarf in hand, eventually disappearing down the dark hallway. Alone again, Deidara stared at the fire and rubbed the back of his neck with a weary sigh, the feel of her soft lips still lingering on his cheek.

* * *

Sakura didn't want to spend the night sick with anxiety, she wanted to live and create memories to keep with her forever. So she pushed the questions about what had almost happened back there out of her mind and dropped her scarf in her room before making her way to Itachi's.

She entered quietly and closed the door behind her with a soft click. The room was dark save for the orange light of the stove and she paused to enjoy the warmth sinking into her skin.

She felt him come up behind her, and she closed her eyes with a soft smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist. She shivered as his lips grazed over the shell of her ear and his hand splayed over her stomach, fingertips teasing under the hem of her shirt. Starting at her shoulders, he slowly slid her open cloak down her arms, setting it aside before walking around to stand in front of her.

Itachi watched her with a mildly curious expression and brushed his thumb across her cheek beneath her eye. She must still have traces of tears on her face, she realized. He didn't ask what had made her cry, and she was grateful she didn't have to explain. It was probably fairly obvious anyway.

Emboldened by the knowledge that tonight would be their last, she eased her fingers under the hem of his shirt, hooking her thumbs over the fabric as she caressed up the smoothly muscled planes of his stomach and chest, taking his shirt up as she went. He raised his arms obligingly, allowing her to remove it. She palmed over his chest and shoulders, closing the small distance between them, trailing her lips along his jaw and the underside of his chin before meeting his lips in a kiss.

Itachi reached for the zipper of her shirt and slowly tugged it down, slipped it from her shoulders until only her thin undershirt remained. It left almost nothing to the imagination and she wasn't wearing a bra, and he watched her nipples tighten as they were exposed to the cooler air. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, her breasts pressing against his bare chest. She was soft and warm and highly responsive, and he wanted so much to take her right now—standing here, on the floor, against the wall, on the bed, he didn't care. Itachi just wanted her. Sakura made him feel reckless. She could shatter his control in a way no one else ever had, and he thought that perhaps, only with her, like this, it wasn't really such a weakness.

But they had no time left. No time to contemplate and explore these new things he had once thought impossible for himself. There was only tonight.

Itachi began walking backwards toward the bed, slowly sat down, and she stood between his knees. His thumbs caressed over her hipbones, fingers slipping under the waistband of her pants, unbuttoning and slowly sliding them down to pool at her feet. She stepped out of them, kicking her boots off in the process, and then she stood before his lustful gaze in only her flimsy undergarments. His calloused hands moved up her toned thighs before settling on her waist, and he pulled her forward a little until his nose touched her flat stomach. He pressed his lips just below her navel. Sakura smiled and ran her fingers lightly through the ends of his ponytail.

Sakura was sure he would continue, but he didn't, and she watched curiously as he simply rested his forehead against her abdomen and closed his eyes. He'd been acting strange all day, so she remained quiet and waited for his next move. After a moment he opened his eyes, but they stayed fixed absently on the skin of her stomach, and his hold on her waist tightened and pulled downward, letting her know what he wanted. Sakura lowered herself to straddle his lap. His hands moved over her back as he began to kiss the side of her neck. Her hands caressed over his smooth back, her nails faintly grazing, causing his muscles to ripple slightly under her touch.

Again he paused, and rested his head against her shoulder this time. She angled her face toward his, ran her fingers through his hair in an unconsciously comforting gesture. "Itachi…?"

He raised his head to meet her gaze. His blank mask was gone, completely, and it was a little shocking to see a truly unguarded expression on his handsome face. His eyes were clouded, his brow tightened in a small frown. He threaded his fingers into her hair and removed her hitai-ate. He held on to it, staring at the engraved Leaf symbol.

"I'm so tired," he murmured faintly, absently, as if to himself.

Sakura's eyes widened, her expression softening as his meaning became clear. That one small phrase expressed everything in perfect simplicity. It explained his strange behavior lately, and why he seemed so calm and accepting about what was to come. He had brilliantly orchestrated this entire series of events, and now his true intention revealed itself. He had planned everything. Everything except for _her_. He knew what was coming with the morning and he _wanted_ it to happen. It was what he'd hinted that night in the cave.

He was tired…and he was ready for it to end.

"Do you believe in fate? That everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand it at the time?" she asked softly, still running her fingers through his hair.

Itachi sighed. "I never did. My fate was to be a pawn, a tool in the in the hands of my power-hungry clan. I was better than that, better than all of them, and I made my own path. But now…after everything that's happened, I can no longer say it's not possible that I was meant for this path. I now believe that the events of my life have led me here, to this point, and that while I thought I was defying my fate…I was following it all along."

Sakura frowned slightly. "If that's true, then your fate was entwined with Sasuke's all along…and he was always meant to leave."

He gave a small nod. "I believe that to be true, now. And I believe that tomorrow I will die by my brother's hand…as he deserves. As was always meant to be."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when no words formed. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. It was surreal to be here, in her dangerous lover's arms, listening calmly while he talked about his impending death. It wasn't that she didn't care—she didn't even particularly _want_ him to die. It was just the way it had to be. Because if he didn't…

Itachi saw her troubled expression, and calmly said, "I have accepted my fate, Sakura, and I have no regrets."

She nodded slowly, eventually giving him a small, sad smile. It was so strange to see him like this, without the mask he wore for the world. She didn't think anyone would believe her if she told them. But many things could change in the outlook of a person faced with death. Itachi trusted her, and was comfortable enough to let go in front of her. He'd said he was tired and she could truly see it now, and her compassionate heart couldn't help but be moved by it.

Slowly, she lowered her head to kiss him. Her hitai-ate clanked dully against the stone floor as he dropped it, and his other hand came up to roam over her back as their kissed deepened. She felt the heat begin to pool in her belly and pressed her hips into his with a soft murmur of pleasure.

He broke away after a moment. "Sakura, what you said to me the other night…" He sighed, struggling a bit with what he wanted to say. "Tonight…just once in my life, I want to be…just a man."

For just one night, possibly his last, he wanted to cast off the mighty Uchiha name, the legend, the infamy, and everything he'd become and just be the man underneath. Just Itachi. It was probably something he'd been denied most of his life. It was probably more than he deserved. But Sakura wanted to give him this one final thing. She nodded understandingly, and some unreadable thought flickered in his dark eyes before he grabbed her head in his hands and crushed his mouth to hers.

Sakura moaned softly and ground her hips against his lap. Itachi smirked and held her still, amused by her impatience. They had all night, and he was going to make sure that he burned every kiss, every sensation into her memory. He would make sure that she would never forget his touch. It would be the only thing he left behind that wasn't tainted by his darkness.

His mouth trailed down the side of her neck, his hot breath giving her delicious chills. She raked her short nails up his back. His hands moved over her sides, raising her shirt up. The soft touch of his hands and the heat of his eyes on her exposed breasts gave Sakura another series of chills, and at the same time her body flushed with heat. His hands followed the soft curve of her breasts until he cupped them in his palms, and she bit her lip and arched into him. He leaned into her and pressed his mouth against the hollow of her throat, tasting her skin. One of his hands found its way to her hair and tugged gently, pulling her head back and making her back arch as he nipped the spot just below her ear, his other hand never leaving her breast, nimble fingers teasing and pinching the rosy peak and eliciting soft sighs of pleasure from her. Sakura squirmed, trying to grind against him, but their angle wouldn't allow it, so she gripped his shoulders and tried to force him down on the bed.

Itachi resisted and caught hold of her with a low chuckle. "Slow down, Sakura," he murmured against her lips, "We're just getting started."

Sakura willed herself to relax and be patient as his hands returned to her breasts, and she arched into him as his mouth moved down her throat and chest. He drew her nipple into his mouth, and she emitted a ragged, breathy sigh and wound her fingers into his hair, holding him to her. She tried once more to grind into him but he still wouldn't change the angle of his hips. She could feel that he was very aroused, but he enjoyed working her into a panting, writhing frenzy too much to give her what she so desperately wanted. He switched to her other breast, tongue circling before drawing the nipple between his teeth. She gasped and squirmed against him, fingers clawing his strong shoulders. It wasn't fair what he was doing to her. She wanted to reciprocate and take it further. She reached down between them and grasped the button of his pants, quickly pulling it open and reaching her fingertips inside. He caught her hand without removing his mouth from her breast. Sakura huffed in protest. Why was he teasing her so much?

Itachi released his hold on her wrist and slipped his fingers under the edge of her panties. She rolled her hips forward, feeling like she was on fire, every nerve ending burning and aching for his touch, and she cried out in pleasure as his fingers slowly slipped inside her. He closed his teeth over her nipple again, and in no time at all she was toppling her over the edge with a strangled cry. She panted against his neck as she came down, her heart racing. When she finally raised her head, the predatory look she saw in his eyes sent a sharp jolt straight to her core and she felt the heat building again. She was amazed how fast and easily he could bring her to the edge. He didn't even have to make an effort, all he had to do was look at her like that and she was filled with desire for him. But he _did_ make an effort; such amazing, deliciously torturous effort, and it made her pleasure even more intensely sweet.

Itachi was pleased by her flushed face and darkened, lust clouded eyes, and he pulled her against him as he rolled them over, removing her panties on the way. He settled between her legs and hovered over her, and she gave him a small pout. "No fair," she murmured, and he raised a brow in amused curiosity. She ran her fingers down his stomach and once more tugged on the waistband of his pants. "Take them off."

Sakura ran her hands along his toned arms and shoulders as he finally removed his pants and positioned himself above her. She lifted her hips eagerly, and with one smooth thrust he sank in all the way. He gave a low growl against her neck and she lifted her legs around his hips, grinding against him slowly as she felt the heat coil within her once again. He gripped one of her thighs and lifted her leg up until her knee was against her shoulder, allowing him to fill her completely. His fingers found their way into her hair as he turned her head and captured her mouth with his. His rhythm quickened and she ground her hips upward, her body needing that amazing friction. The coil tightened and burst within her, and she came with a muffled cry as she bit down on his shoulder and rode up into his thrusts. He followed quickly, her climax setting him off, and he tightened his grip in her hair and groaned into her neck with a shudder.

Still inside her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his head against her chest as they came down slowly. She brought her arms around him and waited for her breathing to return to normal. He was so still for so long, she wondered if he'd fallen asleep. She turned her head and saw that his beautiful dark eyes were open, though unfocussed. He felt her gaze on him and looked up. She gave him a soft smile, and was surprised when he returned it with a small curling of his lips before he looked away and his gaze lost focus once more. She trailed her fingers down his back and enjoyed the feel of their bodies pressed together as they lay in silence.

A while later Itachi stirred and began placing soft, trailing kisses over her collarbone and chest. His lips brushed over her nipple, making it tighten, and Sakura sighed with pleasure. She felt him grow hard inside her, and soon he began to slowly rock against her until he was fully thrusting into her. He raised himself up on his elbows and their eyes locked as he moved inside her. He dipped his head to kiss her, and the next thing she knew he had rolled them over and she was on top of him. She waited for him to take control again, but he didn't; his hands merely caressed over her hips and she realized that he wanted her to take control.

It was another surprise, but equally as welcome as the others, and she eagerly began to move in a sensuous rhythm against him. It felt incredibly empowering to have such a sexy, powerful man under her, his expression one of obvious pleasure and desire. His hands caressed up her sides and cupped her breasts as she rode him, and when he rolled her nipples between his fingers she threw her head back and moaned, moving against him harder and faster than before. Her nails dug into his chest as she raced toward the edge, and she flung herself forward and crushed her lips to his as waves of pleasure rolled over her. She cried into his mouth as he gripped her hips and drove her down onto him hard. He let out a strangled groan and lifted his hips up into her, jerking her down onto him roughly in a final deep thrust. Sakura collapsed on top of him, panting against his neck, and she could hear his heart pounding in his chest as hard as her own. She went to move off of him but he held her down, so she remained still and lay against him until they had both fully recovered. When she finally moved she immediately collapsed again at his side with a small, exhausted laugh. He turned to his side and she curled up against him.

Sakura was exhausted, physically and mentally, but she couldn't even think about sleep. There was so little time left, and she didn't want to waste it. She knew Itachi would not sleep this night, and she would stay awake and wait for the dawn with him, absorbing every last moment and locking it within her heart.

#

They passed the hours before dawn in silence, lying skin to skin in the warmth of his bed, his fingers combing through her hair as she lay against him for the last time. Sakura had no idea of the hour, but trusted that he would.

When he stirred and gently pressed her onto her back, she met his calm dark eyes and knew it was time. Itachi kissed her, soft and unhurried. After several blissful moments he slowly moved away, and she lay there and watched him dress before getting up and doing the same.

Sakura felt oddly calm, almost numb, free of the dread and impending panic she'd felt the day before. The overwhelming sense of fate had taken hold of her and muted her fears. She wondered if this was how Itachi had felt all week.

When they were both fully dressed and cloaked, Itachi stood before her and gazed at her intently. She reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. Her eyes were bright and crystalline in the dim light, and he grazed his thumb along her cheek.

"Sakura," he said very quietly, "I would have given you more if I could."

It was hardly a declaration of love, but it was probably as close as he could ever get. Sakura smiled softly to cover the tremble in her lip. "I know," she murmured. "And I would have saved you if I could."

An emotion he would never be able to express openly passed behind his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered.

He traced her jaw with his fingertips, and bent his head to hers. Sakura sighed and melted into his arms, pouring everything she had into that kiss, taking everything he could give in return. Their last kiss…she would lock the memory of it in her heart and treasure it forever.

After an eternal moment that passed far too quickly, their lips finally parted. They remained close, and she kept her eyes closed. Itachi took hold of her hand, and she felt the press of something hard against her palm. She slowly opened her eyes and looked down.

It was his necklace.

Her eyes shot back to his face in stunned surprise. She couldn't think of a single thing to say, so she simply stared at him, fighting against the stinging in her eyes.

He closed her fingers over the metal, still warm from his skin, and brought his other hand up to gently grasp her chin. "Don't cry for me, Sakura," he said softly. "And don't regret."

She closed her eyes and nodded, and when she opened her eyes again, his were mesmerizing crimson. The color of blood. The man she spent the night with was gone, and the mighty Uchiha Itachi stood before her once more.

It was time.

Itachi turned to the door, opened it and calmly walked out into the hall. Sakura took a deep, ragged breath and followed after him.

When they reached the common room they found the others waiting, cloaked and ready, prepared for battle. The dim light from the single window showed that the sky was just beginning to lighten, and that it was snowing.

Sakura met Deidara's pale eyes and held them, so many things passing between them, and yet so much would be forever left unsaid. Though her heart was breaking, she smiled at him. After a long moment he smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes.

She looked at them all, standing there. Whether they lived or died, she would never see any of them again. If she ever did, it would once again be as enemies.

They turned to leave, but before they did she impulsively walked to Kisame and flung her arms around his thick middle. His eyes widened in surprise, but after a long moment of confusion he awkwardly patted the top of her pink head, which barely reached his chest.

"What was that about?" he asked, bewildered, when she stepped away.

Sakura shrugged and gave him a tight smile. "You're the only one I haven't hugged yet." He laughed quietly.

Finally they turned as a group and walked down the dark hallway, a silent death march. Then they pulled open the heavy front door and stepped out into blinding white.


	17. When Love and Death Embrace

**Perception**

Chapter Seventeen: When Love and Death Embrace

* * *

The crunching of their boots in the fresh morning snow was the only sound to be heard as the five shinobi slowly walked out into the wide clearing in front of the old fortress. They stopped and stood in a loose arc, much the same as they had the day Sakura confronted them in that town… That day now seemed like a lifetime ago.

Itachi was behind her, on her other side stood Deidara, and their respective partners stood next to them at either end. The symbolic irony of their formation and her place among them was not lost on Sakura. She looked so much like one of them, comfortable in their darkness, trusting, intimate. Yet she was not one of them, a reality visualized in the absence of red clouds on her identically tailored cloak.

Would they see that, her friends and teammates? Or would they look at her and see a traitor, one who'd gotten lost somewhere in the gray and couldn't—didn't want to—come back.

Itachi's hand rested on the back of her neck, ostensibly to prevent her from running and keep her under control. But his touch was gentle. He knew she wasn't going to run, at least not yet. Her eyes closed briefly when his thumb began to softly, absently stroke over her skin beneath the cover of her hair. She wondered if he was even aware he was doing it; he had drawn into himself again, sensing for the slightest hint of movement or chakra from their surroundings.

Sakura watched the tiny white flakes fall over the world, her breath puffing small wisps in front of her face, the occasional whisper of wind the only break in the fatalistic calm. It was tragically beautiful.

Three days ago this silent clearing was filled with laughter as they'd stood in this very spot and thrown snowballs at each other like children. Only three days, and they had come to this. Here they would wait. Here, it would end.

The tension in the air was stifling. It was unknown how long they stood there waiting. The moment hung frozen between a heartbeat and an eternity.

Then the surreal stillness snapped back to reality and the four Akatsuki tensed. Sakura sensed it too: powerful chakra and killing intent approaching fast. Her stomach clenched with sickening dread and her fingers gripped hard into the sides of her cloak. Her entire body was rigid, her face nearly as pale as the snowy ground. How was it possible to feel so much fear and yet have none for yourself? Itachi's fingers tightened slightly against her neck, whether out of reassurance, preparation, or his own tension, she couldn't tell.

And then three dark shapes flickered into view across the clearing.

Sakura's heart skipped. Her lips formed a word, barely a breath of a whisper, "Sasuke…"

There he was, after all this time. She hadn't known what to expect, but it wasn't this. He was so different. He was tall, and beautiful, and every bit as haunted and tired-looking as his brother. He looked like he had been through hell, and now here was here before her.

She appraised his companions with disinterest. Sasuke was here in front of her after six long years, and the other two didn't interest her in the slightest, but she felt she should at least give them a cursory once-over. They may be here to help, after all. She began to think otherwise when she noticed that the tall, red haired kunoichi was actually glaring at _her_. Did she think she was one of the Akatsuki? If they'd tracked them all the way here they had to know she was a hostage, so then what was her problem? For some reason Sakura instantly disliked her, and narrowed her eyes before looking to the other one. He immediately put her on edge. From his shaggy silver hair – or was it a frosty blue? – and pointed teeth she guessed that he was probably a former Mist ninja. He seemed far more animalistic to her than Kisame ever had, and it probably had a lot to do with the wicked and sadistic gleam in his eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in anger as she realized he carried Zabuza's giant sword— the sword she and her teammates placed in the ground to mark the man's grave where they had buried him next to Haku. She had a strong suspicion this guy didn't have it now by rightful inheritance.

Sakura sneered. _This_ is what Sasuke had traded them for?

Her focus returned to her former teammate. If he'd looked at her or even acknowledged her presence, she hadn't seen it. Uchiha Sasuke's entire world was focused on one person only. The brothers were locked in a silent stare-down, and neither had moved. Several endless moments stretched by before the palpable silence was broken.

"Sasuke," Itachi said. "Finally we meet again."

The younger Uchiha narrowed his eyes hatefully. "For the last time, Itachi." Both men spoke quietly, but their voices carried across the silent snowy field as clearly as a bell.

Itachi's lips curved just slightly. "Indeed."

"You won't get out of fighting me this time."

"I do not intend to."

They stared intently at each other for another long moment. "Let's finish it, then," Sasuke said, taking a step forward.

Itachi took a step as well, moving in front of Sakura. He paused, and turned to look at her. His crimson eyes were calm as his thumb grazed over her cheek. "No regrets," he said softly. She placed her hand over his and gave him a tiny nod. Then he turned, and slowly walked to the center of the clearing.

Sasuke stared at them, confused by what he just saw. His first thought was that Itachi did it to anger him, to throw off his focus. But Itachi hadn't even glanced in his direction. And Sakura had looked at him without anger or fear, her eyes large and soft and full of sad acceptance…and she returned his touch. Why did she look at him like that? Why did she let him touch her like that, like…like a _lover_. But the question that rang loudest in his mind; why had _Itachi_ done it? Because what his Sharingan had seen pass over his brother's face for a fraction of a second was utterly baffling.

His gaze focused now on the kunoichi who stood among the Akatsuki without fear, as if she belonged there. Their eyes met, and hers were not the same eyes of six or even three years ago. They were no longer the eyes of an immature girl, but of a strong-willed and confident woman, and he realized that he didn't know her at all. Perhaps he never had.

The confused and angry look on Sasuke's face sent a pang through her, but Sakura didn't fall apart like she once thought she would. She wanted him to understand, and she hoped she would have the chance to tell him what she knew. But if not, it wouldn't be the end of her world. She had made choices, and so had he. She was not ashamed of hers. Could he say the same?

Sasuke turned back to his brother, and stepped out to the center of the clearing to face him.

Deidara moved to take over as Sakura's guard, standing close behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. His hand felt more comforting than controlling, and she turned to look up at him with large, nervous eyes. He met her gaze and squeezed her shoulder gently.

As the brothers faced off in the center, the savage looking man with Sasuke fixed his pale gaze on Kisame and began to move around the edge of the clearing toward the shark nin. A grin appeared on Kisame's face, and he moved to meet the other shinobi with a low, sadistic chuckle.

"Well, well," Kisame snickered darkly, "if it isn't the graverobber."

Suigetsu curled his lip and shrugged. "He didn't need it anymore."

"Neither will you, after today."

"You're pretty confident for an old man."

Kisame chuckled. "You know who I am, boy?"

Suigetsu grinned viciously. "Of course I do. Why do you think I'm here?"

"I'm guessing you came for lessons, because I'm about to teach you how a sword of the Seven is_ really_ used." He unstrapped Samehada from his back and eased into a fighting stance.

The other man brought his stolen sword around and did the same. "Oh? You gonna avenge Zabuza's honor? How touching."

Kisame snickered again. "It's not about friendship. The Seven Swordsmen were an extraordinary group. A worthless lackey like you doesn't deserve to wield that sword."

Suigetsu's grin vanished. "Well let's get started, _senpai_. Maybe you can show me a trick or two before I add your sword to my collection!" He swung hard at Kisame's head, and with a loud clash of metal, one part of the battle began.

Sakura tore her eyes away from the two Mist ninja and focused again on the men in the center of everything. Neither brother had moved since facing off. If they were aware of the swordsmen fighting only a few yards away they gave no indication. It was as if nothing else existed in their world but them.

Sakura saw movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced at the redhead kunoichi, who was trying to sneak over to them and find a way to attack. Sakura and Deidara both snorted in derision at the transparent maneuver. She realized that she was acting and thinking a lot like one of the 'bad guys,' but she somehow didn't believe that the two shinobi with Sasuke would lift a finger to help her, even if they weren't here to attack _her_. Well…that woman might. Sakura felt nothing but malice from her. Tobi was closest and moved to block her. She lunged at him, and a second battle began on the opposite side of the field.

Though they still hadn't moved, what was going on in the middle of the clearing was far more interesting to Sakura, and she drowned out the clashing and clanging from either side of her and focused intently on Sasuke and Itachi. The Uchiha brothers stood motionless amid the surrounding chaos, calculating, analyzing each other. One stared with absolute hatred, the other with nonchalance.

"Will you finally be strong enough this time, brother?" Itachi's tone was quiet, as if speaking to himself.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You're about to find out," he growled. "Twelve years. I've lived for this day for twelve years. I survived. And I hated. Just like you told me to, brother." He was practically radiating malice and killing intent. Sakura could feel it from where she stood, and it gave her chills.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Itachi asked calmly.

Sasuke glared venomously at his brother for another moment, and then he vanished. He reappeared a second later with his chakra blade poised inches from Itachi's chest, blocked by a kunai in the older Uchiha's hand. It had finally begun.

Their movements were nearly impossible to follow. They crashed, flickered, vanished and crashed again and again, blurs of black and red against the white landscape as they collided and broke apart, appearing again several feet away and making another rush. They were too fast for each other, too powerful, their Sharingan countering each other's technique and speed.

Sakura was scared. She'd been so confident before, but now that she was witnessing it for real, the outcome of this battle was not entirely clear. Sasuke may die. She knew what Itachi wanted, but he would make his brother earn it, and if Sasuke didn't, if he _couldn't_, Itachi would kill him.

After several minutes of clashing weapons and colliding jutsu the brothers broke apart and stood wary and tense, several feet of distance between them, both beginning to sweat and breathe heavily.

"I am impressed, brother," Itachi said.

Sasuke glared. "You're actually going to fight full-on this time?" He ignored the blood dripping down his cheek, and the stinging of sweat as it trickled into the open cut.

"It would be a mistake not to," Itachi said solemnly. "You've become strong, Sasuke. I'm proud of you."

The younger brother emitted a scathing, bitter laugh. "I've become what I needed to be to kill you, Itachi. I don't give a shit about your pride. Anything other than a death-rattle from you means less than nothing to me."

The older Uchiha smirked faintly.

"What are you doing with Sakura?" Sasuke demanded suddenly.

Itachi showed no reaction to the abrupt redirect. "You know why she's here."

"Don't play games with me."

Itachi's head cocked to the side a little. "Why do you care, Sasuke? You abandoned her long ago, along with everyone else who ever cared about you."

Sasuke's scowl deepened. "What have you done to her?" he pressed angrily. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura frown, and realized she could hear them. Her indignation only confused him more.

Itachi's expression became slightly condescending. "You give Sakura far too little credit, brother. She is not the girl you once knew. Perhaps you should ask that question of _her_, if you live past this day."

Anger flared out from the younger Uchiha and he readied to attack again. "I don't know if I'll live or not, but _you_ sure as hell won't. Even if I die here, I'm taking you with me!"

A massive ball of flames engulfed the space where Itachi had been standing. Sakura flinched and raised her hand to cover her face from the intense heat. She didn't get to see what happened next, because she was suddenly knocked off balance when Deidara threw his arm around her chest and jerked her backward.

A kunai whizzed past, right where her face had been.

She looked to her left in alarm, only to see Tobi and the kunoichi still fighting back and forth like nothing had happened. It seemed as though an off-mark kunai had strayed in their direction, but she couldn't help but feel like the truth was more sinister than that. It was timed too well within the distraction the katon jutsu had created.

"Fucking bitch. Tobi better kill her soon or I'm gonna, yeah," Deidara muttered close to her ear, before releasing his hold around her and returning his hand to her shoulder.

Sakura's face heated in anger. If that kunai had been aimed for her and made to look like an accident…

Her attention immediately returned to the center of the chaos; the crackle of lightning and chirping birds rang out as Sasuke executed a Chidori. There was a large slash on his arm, and blood dripped down to mix with the flaring blue chakra in his hand. She looked to Itachi and saw that his sleeve was torn and he was bleeding as well, and drops of crimson were beginning to stain the pristine snow as they circled each other. Both of them were breathing hard. This fight was getting ugly.

Sasuke charged, Itachi vanished into a flock of ravens, and the battle was on again. Sakura chanced a look over at Kisame and saw both swordsmen still fighting hard, blood staining the snow around both of them, though the sword thief looked far worse for wear and was starting to gasp for breath.

Sasuke made three passes at Itachi with the Chidori and all three missed, though one had come dangerously close to hitting Itachi in the face. The crackling died out and the brothers faced off again. Sasuke was holding an arm over his stomach, and blood seeped through his fingers.

Itachi wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. "Is that all you're capable of?"

Sasuke snorted. "Hardly."

Black streaks from the curse-seal began to spread over Sasuke's neck and face. Sakura had thought it would have lost its power when Orochimaru died. Her surprise turned to dismay when Sasuke's body began to distort and change, and she watched him transform into his second stage for the first time. Naruto had said something about this…but seeing it firsthand was horrifying.

Itachi sneered at his brother's new form. "Is _this_ what you had to become to be on a level with me?"

"I did what was necessary, because _you_ left me no choice!"

"I wanted you to become strong by your own power. I never made you sell your soul."

"Fuck you! Don't talk like you even know what a soul is! You have no idea what I've been through!"

"I know more of hell than you ever will, brother," Itachi said quietly, his expression tired and strained.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sasuke cried angrily, confusion slipping into his burning eyes. "Don't play games with me!" He lunged at his brother.

* * *

Team Kakashi ran at breakneck speed over the jagged, ice-covered rocks, Pakkun sprinting just ahead of them.

"We're close now," the little dog panted, his nose lifting upward to catch a new wave of scent.

They could already feel the massive swells of chakra a few miles ahead of them, and knew that a battle had already started. Had Sasuke found Akatsuki first? Was Sakura fighting? Was she okay?

Kakashi glanced at Naruto as they flew over the terrain. His eyes had already begun to glow an angry orange, the Kyuubi clawing just below the surface and screaming for blood.

Naruto glanced over at him. "Kakashi…can you smell it? Smells like blood and…." His eyes narrowed and his lip curled, revealing a flash of sharply pointed canine.

"Chidori…" Kakashi finished.

"Sasuke…" Naruto growled. "Let's go! Faster!"

The four men and the pug increased their pace.

* * *

Sakura watched the brothers battle back and forth, fascinated and horrified by the monstrous change in her former teammate. What had he done to himself?

Suddenly her attention was redirected again when she heard a sharp crack and a grunt of pain from her left. She turned just in time to see some strange foreign jutsu hit Tobi squarely in the chest, and the masked ninja crashed to the ground.

"Tobi!" she cried, and without a moment's hesitation, she broke free of Deidara's loose hold and ran over to his fallen partner. Deidara was right behind her, and their approach made Karin quickly jump away. Sakura reached Tobi first and fell to her knees beside him. He was gasping and wheezing heavily, clutching at his chest where it was exposed as the cloth and parts of the skin had been burnt off. "Tobi! Are you alright?"

He managed a small nod. "Yeah," he rasped weakly, "but it's hard to breathe."

Sakura placed her ear over his chest and let out a sigh of relief. "You have a punctured lung, but you're okay. Just lie still and breathe carefully, and you'll be fine."

"What! You're worrying over an_ enemy_? How pathetic!"

Sakura looked up to see the other kunoichi glaring at her from where she'd landed in the distance. She had a large gash on her thigh, and there was blood on her face from a wound somewhere near her temple.

"But then again, you don't look much like enemies to me."

"Who _are_ you? What's your problem with me?" Sakura demanded angrily. Why did this woman she'd never met hate her so much?

"My _problem_? My _problem_ is you don't deserve Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura blinked. Then she laughed outright. "_What?_ What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Crazy bitch," Deidara muttered beside her.

The tall woman wasn't finished. "I saw what went on between you and Sasuke-kun's older brother back there. You're a traitor and a slut too from the look of it. I should just kill you here and now and tell Sasuke-kun it was an accident."

"You already tried that," Sakura shot back. _Crazy bitch is right_, she thought. And she was really starting to piss her off.

"Oh, so you noticed?" Karin chuckled. "It looked to me like you were too busy worrying about your _lover_, until _this guy_ saved your ass." She pointed at Deidara. "How _sweet_. Are you fucking him too?"

That was enough for Deidara. He flipped part of his cloak aside and reached into his clay pouches, about to shut this crazy girl's mouth for her, but Sakura beat him to it. She suddenly flickered next to Karin and punched her squarely in the face.

The bigger girl flew back a good twenty feet and rolled through the snow, landing in an awkward heap. She groaned loudly and slowly rose to a crouch, brought her hand to her mouth in pain, and shrieked when she saw blood on her fingers. Her shriek turned to a scream of rage when she realized three of her front teeth were missing. "You fucking bitch!" she spat. "I'm gonna _kill_ you!"

Sakura was not impressed. "I don't know you. I've done nothing to you and I don't know why you have such a grudge against me. I could have smashed your skull with that punch. Don't make me kill you."

Deidara chuckled darkly. He shouldn't be letting Sakura get in a fight; he was supposed to be guarding her and she needed to stay safe until…well, until whatever was going to happen happened. But it was far too amusing to watch the petite little hellcat beat the piss out of that stupid woman.

Karin fixed Sakura with a sadistic grin, but said nothing. Sakura frowned at her. What the hell was she smiling about? Something wasn't right…

Then she heard a startled sound from behind.

"Surprise!" the kunoichi yelled cheerfully, but the woman in front of her hadn't moved.

Sakura whipped around just in time to see the still-prone Tobi stab the woman in the chest, and the clone vanished in a puff of smoke. But not before she plunged her kunai straight into Tobi's jugular.

"Tobi!" Sakura screamed, and ran frantically back. Deidara's eyes widened and he launched the five clay homing birds he'd been molding at the real Karin, who took off running, before quickly moving to join Sakura at Tobi's side.

Sakura crashed to her knees beside him. The clone had severed the artery. There was blood everywhere, draining rapidly from his neck and staining the snowy ground in a dark pool. "_Fuck!_ Tobi!" Without thinking, she ripped off the swirling orange mask and neck cover to expose the wound. Her eyes widened at the massive trauma to his neck tissue, and she pressed her fingers tightly over the gash and poured her chakra into him. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stay focused and calm and drown out the voice that screamed in her head, telling her what her mind already knew but her heart refused to accept.

He was dying.

He was losing blood too fast, his heart already faltering and slowing down. Sakura refused to give up and continued to pump her chakra into the wound as fast as her body would allow, but it was too severe, happening too fast to heal. There was nothing she could do.

Her eyes flew open when his gloved hand weakly touched hers. She looked at his face—the face none of them had ever seen until now. It was pleasant and unremarkable—an honest face. It fit what she knew of him. The left side was heavily scarred and the eye was long gone, but she'd already known that. His single, dark eye stared up at her with rapidly draining focus, and she blinked away the tears to better see him.

"S-sorry, Deidara…senpai," he rasped weakly, his chest rising and falling in feeble, unsteady gasps.

Deidara's face contorted and he closed his eyes for a moment. "Don't apologize, Tobi. You did good, yeah," he muttered thickly, his hands clenching in fists against his pants as he knelt beside Sakura and stared at the face of his dying partner.

"Don't talk Tobi, you're—" Sakura choked, tears falling freely as she continued to futilely pump chakra into the gaping wound.

Then he smiled the most heartbreaking smile she'd ever seen. A thin trail of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth and he coughed weakly. "Deidara-senpai…Sakura-san…are…good friends." A tear slipped from his eye and pooled against the bridge of his nose, and he choked softly as blood leaked from his lips. "Tobi is…happy…." His words trailed off in a sigh, and his hand fell away from hers. His eye stared unseeing at the sky. He was still smiling.

"No…no, no, no, no _NO!"_ Her chakra output ceased and she hung her head in agonizing defeat. Sakura stared at her shaking hands, covered in blood. There was nothing she could have done; some wounds were just too severe to heal, even by the best. It was how her shishou had lost the love of her life. It just happened too fast. Sakura knew this, but it didn't keep her from blaming herself.

But she knew who was _really_ to blame, and she glared pure venom at the kunoichi responsible. The woman was covered in cuts and burns from trying to evade Deidara's bombs, managing to outmaneuver them one by one and drive them into the snow covered boulders surrounding the area. She was panting for breath but still managed to fix Sakura with a gloating, sadistic smile.

"_You!_" She'd held back before, but now, that woman would die.

Sakura stood, but Deidara was already moving, a look of absolute fury on his face. She'd never seen him look so dangerous. He walked slowly toward the kunoichi and stopped several feet away.

Karin smirked. "So you're gonna avenge your comrade, huh?" she said casually, mockingly. She cocked her head. "Or is it because of what I said about your pathetic little slut over there?"

Deidara smiled at her, and she paled at the look of pure murder in his eyes.

"You're fucking _dead_, bitch."

Karin snorted. "Not if all you've got are more of those stupid, useless birds."

Sakura heard everything and smirked, her shocked and grief-filled mind abnormally sadistic. The woman had just killed his partner, insulted Sakura, and now she was insulting his _art_…she wouldn't live another five minutes. Sakura barely saw the tiny object that dropped from his over-long sleeve, white on white as it hit the snow and vanished.

Karin was still ranting with false bravado. "I mean, did you actually think those things would kill me? _Please_. If I outran them before I can outrun them again…what the—?" Her eyes widened in shock as a giant clay snake shot up from the snow and coiled itself tightly around her torso, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Surprise!" Deidara shouted, throwing her own mocking words back at her with cruel delight.

Karin's face registered one second of pure terror before the snake exploded.

Sakura turned her eyes away from the gruesome scene and gazed sadly at Tobi's peaceful, smiling face. Fresh tears welled in her eyes, and she reached out a bloodstained hand and gently closed Tobi's only eye. Deidara returned and crouched at her side, holding Tobi's mask. He stared at it for a long moment, and then handed it to Sakura with a meaningful look. She took it and gently leaned over Tobi to place a soft kiss on his brow. "Goodbye, Tobi. I'll never forget you," she whispered sadly, and carefully replaced his mask.

She ran her hands through the unstained snow to remove some of the blood, ignoring the icy bite on her burns, and turned to Deidara with a look of pure anguish. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered shakily. "I couldn't—"

"Hey!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "_Don't_. Even I could see it was too late, yeah. You did everything you could. Tobi did his best, and he was happy. Don't you dare blame yourself."

Sakura nodded weakly and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her cloak. Deidara stood, and she took the hand he offered. They both turned in the direction of the ongoing fights when they heard the loud roar and felt the searing heat of another katon jutsu.

It was Itachi's, and it partially caught Sasuke in midair. Sakura gasped when Sasuke fell from the billowing cloud of black smoke and crashed to the ground hard, wisps of smoke rising from his singed skin. The curse-seal faded as he struggled to remain conscious, and she could see the burn marks over his pale, bare back as he shakily got up to a crouch. He was exhausted, and Itachi didn't look much better. Both were bleeding and limping, sweating and breathing hard. They were running out of chakra, and soon this fight would come down to brutal, bloody, hand-to-hand combat.

Something caught Sakura's attention to her right, and she watched wide-eyed as Kisame swung Samehada in a wide arc and brought it down hard, slicing clean across his exhausted opponent's torso. The younger man fell to the ground in shock, gasping and sputtering as dark blood flowed into the snow all around him. Zabuza's sword crashed to the ground. Kisame slowly limped over to the fallen young man, and bent painfully to retrieve the sword of his former comrade, looking down upon his defeated foe.

"See?" he said quietly, all traces of amusement gone. "You just weren't good enough." And with that, he drove Zabuza's sword straight down into Suigetsu's chest, and the former Mist-nin moved no more.

Kisame sighed tiredly. He held an arm over the gash in his abdomen and drove Samehada into the ground, holding the hilt and leaning against the sturdy sword in exhaustion as he finally turned his attention to his partner's battle. Sakura could see that the shark's many wounds, though messy and bloody, were not fatal, and that with his stamina he probably didn't even need her assistance.

Suddenly another presence materialized a few yards behind her, and a second later Deidara sprang away from her side. Several kunai thudded into the snow where he'd been standing. Sakura whipped around to come face to face with her teammates.

Team Kakashi had just arrived at the far side of the clearing, and skidded to a halt when they spotted Sakura. She seemed fine, but that didn't stop Naruto from flinging sharp weapons at the man standing next to her. "Sakura-chan!" he cried anxiously.

"Naruto!" she called back. Her heart soared at seeing them, but soon crashed back down. They were now in danger as well.

"Kakashi, I'm going," Pakkun said. Without waiting for a reply from his master, who was too caught up in what was happening, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Sakura looked pale and worried, and there were tears on her face and even a streak of blood. She seemed okay, but even though she was standing alone she made no move to run to them. Whose blood was that? Why was she crying?

Naruto turned to Deidara, who'd landed several feet away and was glaring malevolently at them. "_You!_" he growled at the Akatsuki.

Deidara smirked darkly. "It's been a while, Kyuubi."

"If you did anything to hurt Sakura-chan, I'll fucking kill you! Actually…I'm gonna kill you anyway!" He moved into a fighting stance.

"Naruto," Kakashi said, stepping slightly in front of the boy. "You already know you can't fight him. He has the tactical advantage on you."

"I don't give a damn about that!"

"Make sure Sakura is okay. Let me handle him." He turned his attention to the blond Akatsuki, his Sharingan spinning and locking down on its target.

Naruto grudgingly agreed and started to move toward Sakura. He jumped backward quickly as two kunai came straight at him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, yeah," Deidara warned, then jumped aside to avoid the kunai launched at him from the Copy Ninja.

"You can't afford to worry about that right now. I'm your opponent from here out."

"That's fine by me. I have unfinished business with _you_ anyway."

"They say holding grudges is unhealthy you know…mentally," Kakashi said casually, but his tense posture belied his nonchalance.

Sakura watched Kakashi and Deidara square off to fight, her fear and anxiety so strong she felt sick and was afraid her knees would give out. This couldn't be happening! They couldn't be about to kill each other. Not like this! This wasn't even necessary! She had to do something…

Deidara laughed at the Copy Ninja and flipped the sides of his cloak back. "What do I care about that, hm? The magnificence of my art defies rational thought!" he shouted mirthfully, then reached into his pouches and began molding clay.

"Kakashi!" Sakura cried, taking an instinctive step forward.

Without taking his eyes off of his opponent, he yelled, "Sakura, stay back!"

She shook her head frantically. "No, Kakashi you don't—"

"Sakura-chan, come to us! Hurry!" Naruto called out, standing with Sai and Yamato some distance away. He frowned in surprise when she didn't even look his direction.

Deidara opened his fists to reveal a dozen tiny homing birds. He grinned sadistically. Kakashi drew several kunai and readied to attack.

Sakura began running full tilt toward Deidara, slipping in the snow and nearly falling in her frantic attempt to reach him in time. She reached him a second too late, grabbing his arm just as he released the homing missiles in Kakashi's direction.

"Deidara, no!" she cried, pulling on his arm desperately to get his attention. "Please don't do this, it's not necessary!_ Deidara!_"

He tore his eyes from watching the Copy Ninja leap and dodge his missiles, and glared at the frantic kunoichi. Sakura flinched slightly at the cold malice she saw in those eyes. "Deidara…don't do this," she pleaded, her voice breaking, "We don't know what will happen yet…please…just wait."

Deidara gave a frustrated huff and glanced at the evasive Copy Ninja, then back to Sakura, then to his opponent again. He looked one last time at Sakura in angry indecision as her bright eyes stared pleadingly up at him. Finally, he turned from her and fixed a vicious sneer on Kakashi.

Sakura tensed when it appeared Deidara wasn't going to listen to her, and debated if she had to hurt him to get him to stop. Her heart leapt into her throat when all of his remaining missiles refocused and made a dive straight for Kakashi. She mechanically drew chakra into her fist and painfully prepared to do what she had to…

Kakashi's realized there was no way to avoid being hit by at least one of the bombs, and he began to make rapid hand seals for shadow clones and jump away, when suddenly the missiles dispersed and dropped harmlessly to the ground. He stared at the duds in surprise, but jumped away anyhow in case it was a trap. He landed next to his three dumbfounded teammates and joined them in staring bewildered at the blond Akatsuki and their teammate clinging to him.

Deidara fixed Sakura with a frustrated glare. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. He had backed down. _For her_. It was ridiculous. He'd been looking forward to continuing where he'd left off with the Copy Ninja and the jinchuuriki three years ago. But now for some reason, he didn't want to do it in front of _her_. What the hell had she done to him? She did have a point, though. This wasn't his mission, and whether it succeeded or failed, it was no real skin off his back. Leader wouldn't be pleased with him, but the ultimate responsibility would lie on Itachi's shoulders. And if Itachi died…then they would have to figure out something else, and that was just fine with him.

Sakura stared up at Deidara with wide, grateful eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, and let her head fall wearily against his shoulder, the deadly chakra in her fist dissipating.

Naruto saw this and frowned, not understanding what was going on or why Deidara held back. Sakura had begged him not to…and he _listened_. And now she was leaning against him. Could some of what that old matron said be true? No… "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked up and fixed watery eyes on her teammate. "Naruto…" She started forward, but Deidara grabbed her and held her back.

Kakashi tensed, and Naruto jerked forward but was stopped by his team leader. Deidara's free hand tensed over his clay pouch, but relaxed slightly when no one made another move. Sakura stared at Deidara in indignation. She could break free if she really tried. Powerful as he was, he was no match for her chakra. But if he really intended to hold onto her she would have to hurt him to get loose, and she still didn't want to have to do that.

He looked into her eyes and shook his head. "I can't let you go to them yet, Sakura. Not until this is over. Just wait it out, okay?" he said quietly. He continued, this time loud enough for the others to clearly hear, "I held back once, but if they try anything else I won't hesitate, yeah."

Sakura nodded. "I understand. Naruto, everyone…please just stay there for now. I'm okay. Really." She forced a smile. "Just wait…please."

Her teammates stared at her, bewildered and suspicious. They all looked at each other uncertainly, and then Kakashi turned and gave her a wary, curt nod. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

What a strange sight they were; mortal enemies standing side by side in a wary time-out, a temporary truce.

With a loud clash and ringing of steel, Sasuke went stumbling back and fell to his knees, but managed to keep a hold on his sword. Itachi stood several feet away holding his own sword, slightly bent and bleeding heavily from a large gash on his leg. Sasuke spit blood onto the ground and shakily attempted to stand.

"Sasuke!" Naruto lurched toward the fight, but was grabbed on either side and held back by Kakashi and Yamato. He struggled against their hold. "Let go of me, damn it! Can't you see Sasuke needs our help?"

"Calm down Naruto," said Yamato.

"That's easy for you to say! He's not important to _you_!" Naruto jerked roughly to break free. However, it was Yamato and Kakashi doing the holding, and short of a full-on Kyuubi transformation, he wasn't getting free any time soon.

"Naruto, listen to me," Kakashi urged, "I know how you feel, but you can't go over there. You can't get involved this time."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because," he said, "some things are a matter of pride."

Naruto paused, remembering a time years ago when he'd seen the brothers clash, and Jiraiya had said something very similar. Finally he relaxed with a frustrated sigh, and the restraining arms were lowered.

"You can't save Sasuke by fighting beside him. He doesn't need you now," Kakashi continued, giving him a meaningful look. "He will need you _after_."

Sasuke slowly got to his feet and chanced a glance around the clearing, briefly registering the lifeless bodies of his companions and then casting a slightly more lingering look at his former teammates. His body screamed in pain and exhaustion. He had very little left, and Itachi looked just as worn down. It was almost over, one way or another.

"I may be injured, but is it really wise to turn your focus from me?"

Sasuke looked back to his brother with an exhausted glare. He ignored the question and offered one of his own. "Why?" he asked in a low, pained voice. "We're here now…at the end. No more mind games. Tell me why."

Itachi looked very tired. "I did it for you, Sasuke," he answered quietly.

Sasuke was shocked. "What the fuck does that mean? You killed our clan, our parents…for _me_? You're saying it was some sick attempt to make me _stronger_?"

"I did it so you would be free."

He couldn't believe Itachi was finally giving him a straight answer. But it _couldn't_ be the truth. It was the logic of a madman. He didn't want to believe it. "Free?" he scoffed. "How am I free? I'm a slave to this vengeance, because you made sure I could have nothing else! You took everything from me! You ruined my life! I fucking _hate_ you for what you did to us, to our family, to me!"

"It is the truth."

"I don't believe you!" he screamed, his eyes wild. "I will kill you, Itachi! This ends now!" blue-white flared from his arm and extended down the blade of his sword, crackling and spitting. He had one last shot. This pass would end it. He ran full speed at his brother.

Itachi brought his katana up to deflect the chakra blade, and threw himself inside Sasuke's reach, grabbing him by the head and forcing him to look directly into his eyes.

Sakura gasped and lurched forward in fear, but Deidara once again held her back.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted in alarm, but Sasuke couldn't hear him.

The Chidori fizzled and sputtered out. Sasuke stared wide-eyed and unfocussed, already trapped in the Mangekyou Sharingan.

#

Sasuke crashed to his hands and knees, his head spinning. Disoriented, he shakily pushed himself to a sitting position and opened his eyes.

His blood ran cold.

He was filled with a fear that nothing else in the world could give him. There was no mistaking where he was. The walls of the Uchiha compound were bathed in a bloody glow from the light of an eerie red moon, casting stark unnatural shadows across the nightmare rendition of his family home.

Itachi stood not far from him, watching; the master of this hellish world.

Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the moment it would come; the tearing of his mind, the screams and the blood and the fear as his once-loved brother forced the events of that night upon him over and over. He had failed. He had come this far, had given up everything, and now it was over. Itachi would torture him until his mind finally broke for good and then he would kill him.

But Itachi didn't move.

What was he waiting for? "Why do you do this, Itachi?" Sasuke raised his eyes to his brother. "Don't you realize that I already live with this nightmare every waking moment, that the memory of that night haunts my every step? Do you enjoy torturing me?" he asked bitterly.

"No," Itachi replied quietly.

His brother had never been honest with him before, so Sasuke took advantage of it while he still had time. There was no one in this world but them. No one else would ever hear this conversation. "Then why did you do it? _How_ could you do it? How could you just kill them all, for no reason? I know our father was a bastard…but how could you kill our _mother_?"

Itachi frowned. He wouldn't tell him that had been the hardest part. It would serve no purpose to reveal to his little brother that his sword had hesitated, just for a second, before dealing that blow. It would do no good to reveal that afterward, as he watched the light drain from their mother's eyes, so like his own, his hand shook.

"Because it was necessary," he said, "Because our clan was corrupt and twisted, drunk on their own power and superiority. But they were stagnant and weak…so weak that they resorted to despicable methods to regain their power. I put an end to their false arrogance."

Sasuke stared in disbelief. "You're insane if you think something like that justifies the murder of our entire clan!"

"They brought it upon themselves. You read the secret clan archive, you know what I say is the truth."

Sasuke _had_ read the secret records and he _did_ know. But this had to be some sort of sick game his brother was playing. It couldn't be the truth. What he was implying was too unexpected and…and just… "Our clan…you're saying…you did it to _spare_ me?" he rasped, still not wanting to believe.

"Yes."

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, anger and confusion racing through him. It was so simple…so simple it had to be a lie. All of the pain…the loneliness, the torment, the sacrifice…all for _that_? All for…"You're lying! I don't believe you! This is another sick game of yours!"

"It is the truth. You are my brother, Sasuke."

"Brother…my brother…" Sasuke whispered to himself. This man before him was not Itachi. He couldn't be. Not this man who looked so tired and worn, speaking to him as he hadn't in so many years, telling him things he didn't want to believe. Things the lost and lonely little boy deep in his heart had wanted to hear all his life. "You didn't have to kill them…." His eyes burned, but he ignored it. "If they were so bad…you could have taken me away! We could have left together! You're my brother; I would have gone with you!"

Itachi closed his eyes. "There was no other way."

Sasuke bowed his head, defeated, fingers digging into the illusionary earth of this silent underworld. "Just kill me already, Itachi," he rasped. "I don't want to hear any more. Don't make me see it again…just kill me."

Itachi was silent, his expression clouded and troubled as he gazed down at his brother. "That is not why I brought you here," he said finally.

"Then why?" Sasuke asked, raising his head to meet his brother's gaze.

"To make you _see_."

Sasuke tensed, and then he felt it rush over him like a wave. Images flashed like a slideshow, voices echoed in his mind, and feelings that were not his own washed over him. These were not the images and sounds of his clan's massacre which he'd seen so many times. Itachi showed him things Sasuke had never seen before, things he'd never known. Things he didn't _want_ to know. Itachi showed him the truth—about their clan, about their father and the elders, about himself and the things he had seen and been through as a tool of the Uchiha dynasty. Flashes, images, conversations, moments of fear and loneliness, no sense of identity, depression, anger, insanity, hatred. There were also flashes of Sasuke, many things he didn't remember or was too young to know. Training in the woods, sitting together on the porch in summer, moments of brief peace of mind that bordered on happiness. Itachi showed him the entire truth of his life and what he had done, and why he had tortured and driven Sasuke to this path of vengeance.

Sasuke saw all of it, and it was more painful and wrecking than any vision of the massacre could ever have been.

"No…no, stop it!" he yelled, grasping his head in his hands. "Stop! No…no…!"

#

"Nooooooooo!"

Sasuke felt a sharp jerk and his eyes flew open, and he realized that last scream had been out loud. He was no longer in the Tsukiyomi. What happened? How did he get out? Did he break it? That wasn't supposed to be possible. Did Itachi let him out? His vision focused, and he knew his hearing had returned when he heard Sakura's strangled gasp. He stared at the sword in his hand.

Buried to the hilt in Itachi's chest.

Everything seemed to stop. Sasuke stared in shock at the dark blood flowing from the wound and down the hilt, covering his hand, then to his brother's pained but calm face. Itachi took a slow, staggering step backward. Sasuke desperately tried to mentally block out the sick feeling of metal sliding through flesh as he stared in disbelief at what had happened, still not knowing _how_. Itachi took another faltering step and fell to the ground.

The chakra blade dropped from Sasuke's nerveless fingers as he stared down at his dying brother. This moment was what he had been working over half his life to achieve. This is what he had wanted with every fiber of his being. But now…he didn't feel the sense of accomplishment he thought he would. He didn't feel pride, or grim satisfaction. He felt sick…and empty, and wracked with a deep, bitter despair.

His clan was avenged; their souls could rest in peace at last. He had always known that it was his duty to bring them justice. But he had adored his brother…and what happened between them had broken his heart.

Sasuke fell to his knees beside Itachi, numb with unexpected grief. Itachi gazed back at him, his eyes dark as his body no longer had enough chakra to keep the Sharingan active. He breathed weakly, his chest rising and falling in short uneven intervals. The brother he had once loved was dying before his eyes, and Sasuke couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Sasuke…" Itachi's voice was low and weak. "You are not like me. You are…better. I set you free, and you became strong. Now…you must learn to live."

Sasuke's expression tightened painfully, his eyes burning again. Why was it happening like this? Why now? Why had he told him the truth? He wished Itachi would have just let him end it in hatred, like he'd wanted. He wasn't prepared for this. Now it was too late.

"_Aniki_…." he choked out, the word he hadn't used in so long bitter and painful on his tongue.

Then Itachi smiled; small, pained, and tired, but it was there. His arm rose slowly toward his brother, unsteady as the last of his life-force drained in a dark crimson pool beneath him. Sasuke flinched and his face contorted as he recognized the motion, detested yet secretly sought after by the little boy who had only ever wanted his big brother's attention.

Two fingers tapped lightly against Sasuke's brow, like so many times before…in another life.

"Live, _Otouto_…" Itachi whispered, and then his arm fell away, his chest rose and fell one final time. His eyes closed.

Sasuke hung his head.

The world was silent amid the falling snow.

* * *

It had taken every ounce of control Sakura had not to run to them when Sasuke got pulled into the Mangekyou. Deidara held onto her still, his grip a curious mixture of comfort and control. She'd noticed Kakashi and Sai holding on to Naruto for the same reason.

When Itachi fell, she suppressed her strangled cry and fought every screaming instinct inside herself not to run out there. This was not her battle, and tragic and heartbreaking as it was, it had to happen this way. She watched with tears streaming down her face as the brothers had their final moment, and reached an understanding at last.

And now, Sasuke was going to break. She could see it coming. Now was when he would need them. She tensed against Deidara's hold, and with a tired sigh he let her go. She sprinted across the field but paused several feet away, slowing to a cautious walk so as not to startle Sasuke because he didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings. Although he may be angry with her, furious even, she somehow knew he wouldn't hurt her. It took enormous control not to look at Itachi, afraid she might break as well.

Sakura slowly crouched before him, their knees touching, and cautiously placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke…?" she whispered, her voice strained with emotion.

It seemed as though he hadn't heard her; he continued to stare unseeing at the ground. Then he slowly, almost dazedly met her gaze. His ebony eyes were haunted with dark shadows, and her heart wrenched at the desperate pain she saw there, still mixed with confusion as if he couldn't understand how things came to be like this.

They stared at each other for the longest time, and then Sasuke slowly and mechanically reached out a bloodstained hand to grasp the front of her cloak and tugged, moving himself toward her as much as to pull her toward him. With a ragged sigh he doubled over and his head fell against her collar. Sakura gasped and held back a sob as he clung to her, shaking, his hands fisting tightly in the thick material of her cloak. She brought her arms up over his burned and bleeding back, cradling him even as her chakra flared and began to unobtrusively tend to his wounds. He didn't seem to notice, too caught up in a lifetime of pain and grief. Sakura offered him whatever comfort she could, knowing that he needed this release, that he couldn't control this breakdown even if he wanted to. It was long overdue.

Eventually she heard the sound of boots crunching in the snow and looked up to see Naruto running toward them, followed at a less frantic pace by the rest of her teammates. She was surprised he'd waited this long, and was relieved he had the composure to slow to a walk before he reached them. He knelt down next to them both, his bright blue eyes filled with relief, but also troubled and slightly hesitant. Helping Sasuke beat his brother, or simply beating Sasuke until he came to his senses, was as far as he'd gotten in his planning, and he wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation.

Emboldened by Sasuke's acceptance of Sakura's presence, Naruto tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke…."

Again the stricken young man showed no reaction to an outside presence. Several moments passed, and Naruto was about to self-consciously remove his hand when suddenly one of Sasuke's hands let go of Sakura and grabbed Naruto tightly by the sleeve. Naruto's own grip tightened and his eyes watered, and he brought his other arm around Sakura's shoulders.

After several long, emotional minutes between the three friends, Sakura looked up to see Kakashi, Sai and Yamato watching them with mixed expressions. Yamato and Sai were mostly keeping a wary eye on Kisame and Deidara as the two remaining Akatsuki met up in the distance and began to talk, eyeing them just as warily.

Sakura caught Kakashi's eye and smiled. He smiled back, and she beckoned him over. This was his moment too. He approached slowly, stopping when he stood behind Sakura. She smiled up at him and leaned her head against his leg, and his mismatched eyes gazed down at her with relief and deep affection. She looked away and returned to healing a still oblivious Sasuke, and after a moment Kakashi gently placed a gloved hand on top of her head and smoothed his fingers through her hair.

Kakashi stared for a long moment at the bent form of his rogue student. Then in an uncommon display of feeling, which he blamed entirely on the emotional atmosphere of the moment, he reached his other hand out to the dark haired boy, then hesitated, his hand clenching into a fist inches above the spiky hair. Finally he relaxed and let it rest paternally atop his head.

It was not as they expected, not as they had imagined or wanted, but here on this bloody battlefield, Team Seven was reunited at last.

Several minutes passed before Sasuke finally stirred, sitting upright and releasing his grasp on Naruto and Sakura. His dark, red-rimmed eyes fixed hollowly on the face of his brother.

Sakura took a deep, shaky breath and finally allowed herself to look at Itachi. There was a faint, accepting smile on his lips. He'd told her not to cry for him, and she would keep that promise. Slowly, she reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from his closed eyes in silent farewell. Sasuke watched her do it, his eyes following the movement of her fingers, and said nothing. The others looked at each other uncertainly but said nothing. _No regrets_... She gazed for another moment at Itachi's serene face, and then turned away. She hoped he had finally found peace.

But it wasn't over. Kisame and Deidara stood next to a giant clay bird. They had placed Tobi's body along the back and were now watching them warily, as if they weren't quite sure what they wanted to do next. Then they began to move toward Sakura and her teammates, slowly, wary like wild animals approaching a strange new object. Kisame was covering a limp, but his sword was still drawn and Deidara's cloak was open for easy access to his pouches.

Naruto saw them coming and jumped up, backing up to gain distance in case they tried to attack him. Everyone tensed except for Sakura and Sasuke—Sasuke didn't seem to notice or care about anything at the moment, and Sakura wasn't afraid of them. They stopped a few feet away and the two sides stared each other down.

"So what happens now?" Deidara asked curtly, surprising everyone.

"I guess that depends on you," Kakashi said. Kisame was already injured, and the two Akatsuki would be hard pressed if they wanted a fight with several fully capable elite jounin, and it seemed as though they knew it.

Kisame straightened and looked at the lifeless form of his partner. Things didn't look good for them at the moment. Leader would be angry that they couldn't take the jinchuuriki, but he would be even more furious if all four of them died here and only three Akatsuki remained to carry out their goal. "Give us Itachi, and we'll leave," he said gruffly.

"Kakashi, we should take the body back to Konoha," Yamato said quietly.

The two Akatsuki tensed, and Kisame looked like he was about to start swinging. They were willing to leave, but it was clear that if they didn't take Itachi back with them, there was going to be a fight. Sakura's pulse quickened nervously as she watched the tense interchange.

Kakashi thought for a long moment, never taking his eyes off the enemy pair. "Take him," he finally said.

"But the bloodline limit…we can't let enemy shinobi—" Sai began.

Kakashi cut him off tiredly. "Let them go." They didn't want his body to study his bloodline or for any other sinister reason. They wouldn't risk their lives walking up to them if it was merely a matter of procedure. He was their comrade. It was as simple as that.

Yamato and Sai backed off and stood near Naruto, who glared daggers at the enemy shinobi. Kakashi also backed up to a respectful distance, though he made sure not to get too far from Sakura, who had no intention of moving.

Sakura's eyes brimmed full and her hold on her barely suppressed emotions threatened to break when the two men she'd spent so much time with in the last several weeks stopped before her. Kisame knelt down to retrieve Itachi's body. Sasuke started, and glared malevolently at the shark for a long tense moment. It wasn't clear if he was going to let them take his brother without a fight, but finally he sighed and looked numbly down at the ground. Kisame carefully set his partner over his shoulder and stood up with a mildly pained grunt.

He looked at her as he turned to walk away. "So long, Sakura," he said, using her name for the first time. "I hope we never meet again." He grinned with a flash of pointed teeth.

She would always remember that creepy grin of his. She understood him; if they ever met again, they may have to face off as enemies. She nodded with a small, sad smile. "Goodbye, Kisame."

Finally, she looked up at Deidara. Her heart wrenched painfully and the tears spilled over as she gazed for the last time at her unexpected friend. She met his eyes and forcibly gave him her biggest, brightest smile.

She couldn't know that smile had just broken the heart Deidara didn't think he'd had into tiny little pieces. She looked so beautiful, sitting there in the blood-spattered snow, tears staining her pale cheeks and crystallizing her brilliant jade eyes. He would never forget her and her imperfect, temperamental beauty. But she was with her family again, back among the light. She was where she belonged. With more willpower than such a simple thing should need, he forced himself to smile back.

Deidara reached out to her, proof of his nerve and recklessness as her male companions looked ready to kill at any second, and gently cupped her cheek in his hand. "Goodbye, Sakura…" he said softly.

Sakura closed her eyes when he touched her, her heart wrenching painfully. His fingers grazed gently over stray strands of her snow-dampened hair, pressed softly against her cheek in farewell. She touched her fingertips to the back of his hand. "Goodbye, Deidara," she whispered. Then he turned and walked away.

The two Akatsuki secured the bodies of their partners along the back of the bird and mounted. With a great lurch and a gust of wind from the flapping wings, they lifted off.

Sakura watched them drift away and fade to a tiny speck in the winter sky, until they were only a memory.


	18. My Place among the Ashes

**Perception**

Chapter Eighteen: My Place among the Ashes

* * *

Sasuke stared at his hands, at the blood of his brother covering them, blood he had sought after for so long and yet couldn't bring himself to relish now that it was done.

In the end, he supposed he really didn't have enough hate. He had enough strength, but just barely. It really could have gone either way, and he still wasn't sure exactly how that final blow had been dealt. He had enough strength, yes, but not enough hate. Not enough to feel satisfied with his brother's death, to feel accomplished. He would even settle for feeling _nothing_, because nothing had to be a hell of a lot better than _this_.

He wanted to hate Itachi all over again for doing this to him, for robbing him of his hatred at the last minute, for taking all the sweetness out of his revenge and leaving him with this bitter, hollow feeling. How could he build it up so high and then just take it all away like that? Sasuke didn't forgive him; the things he'd done were unforgivable no matter their reason. But he couldn't hold the hatred in his heart anymore.

There was nothing sweet at all about revenge. They had all warned him, but he didn't listen. He'd spat on their ideals and advice and offers of support and friendship. But still here they were. Still offering. Still holding their hands out, no matter how many times they'd been bitten. Surely they were fools and masochists. But Sasuke was no better, and he was glad they never let go.

Sakura felt Sasuke stir, and she finally turned her eyes away from the empty sky and back to the present. His tired eyes traveled from his hands up his forearms and widened when he realized that his wounds had stopped bleeding and were significantly smaller. He looked up at Sakura with something close to amazement on his haunted face.

"I can finish later," she said quietly. She'd poured out a great deal of chakra trying to save Tobi. Her eyes stung again at the memory of his touching last words and smiling face.

Finally aware of what was going on around him, Sasuke looked uncertainly and almost warily at Naruto, then Kakashi, and then at Yamato and Sai. He vaguely remembered the two dark haired men. He'd also finally figured out he was alone with them all. If he had any intention of leaving on his own, he knew it wouldn't be happening in his current condition. His shoulders slumped further and he sighed, waiting with a tired and resigned expression. He didn't have any intention to resist them. He didn't care what happened to him now.

Naruto looked like he was about to jump out of his skin; it was taking every bit of maturity he could muster not to start shouting and shaking his traumatized former teammate. "Sasuke…" he began hesitantly, gripping his shoulder. "What will you do now?"

Sasuke looked up, slightly confused that they were even considering options, and for a moment he wondered if it was even Naruto standing there. He looked at the ground again, not knowing how to answer.

"There's still a home for you in Konoha," Naruto continued. "I know you're a bastard missing-nin and you did a lot of fucked up things, but I'll convince everyone your case was special. People actually listen to me now. Sakura-chan will help too, and Kakashi-sensei…we're all here for you. We always have been." His tone quieted, "It won't be easy, but we'll make it work. We—"

"I'm ready." Still staring at the ground near his knees, Sasuke quietly said, "I'm ready to…I want to go…home."

Naruto's face lit up like the sun. He hadn't really meant what he said about Sasuke having a choice, but it didn't matter because his tactic had worked. "You won't regret it, Sasuke. That's a promise!"

As much as Naruto wanted to smother him, he had the sense to back off and let Sasuke have his space for now. He stood and stretched his arms behind his head. "Man, it's too bad we didn't get to whoop some Akatsuki ass this time. I was looking forward to it." Then he caught Sakura's look and his face fell. "What really matters is that you're okay, Sakura-chan," he added sincerely.

Sakura gave him a tight-lipped smile and looked away, accepting his reluctantly apologetic undertone. He didn't even know what he was contrite for. She owed them all an explanation. Eventually.

Now that it was over and the adrenaline had worn off she felt the biting chill of the snow seeping into her pants, and she tiredly stood as well, her legs aching. She paused as a gloved hand appeared in front of her, and she took it gratefully and let Kakashi pull her up. She didn't immediately let go, and when she finally did it was to wrap both arms around his waist and lay her head against his chest in exhausted relief. She'd missed them all so much, and they had risked a lot to come after her. She fought against tears, but a few leaked out anyway.

Kakashi noticed, and his arms came up to envelop her warmly. "Sakura, are you alright?"

She knew he wasn't asking if she was injured. She buried her face in his vest and nodded, the rough material scraping against her cheek. "I will be," she murmured. She didn't feel inclined to break away, and after a moment his hold tightened and he rested his chin on the top of her head. She snuggled closer to him; she'd almost forgotten how easily he made her feel better. Suddenly Kakashi went very still, his fingers briefly pressing tight against her back. Something dark and unpleasant passed behind his eyes, and Sakura took a small step back. A second later it was gone, making her wonder if she'd imagined it. Then he crinkled his eyes at her. A fake smile.

Sakura didn't get a chance to ask him what was wrong because she was pulled into a crushing bear-hug by Naruto, who decided it was his turn to dote on their recovered kunoichi. "I'm so glad you're okay, Sakura-chan," he whispered into her hair.

Sakura returned the hug, but a moment later Naruto let out a tiny huff and his entire frame went rigid. She felt his chakra flare minutely before he could cover it, not being nearly as subtle as their team leader. She tried to pull back and look at his face but his arms tightened and held her to him stiffly. What was going on? Was there something wrong with her?

Naruto's eyes met Kakashi's over the top of Sakura's head in a silent interchange of confusion and anger. Kakashi gave the younger man a warning look and a minute shake of his head.

He let her go and ran a hand through his unruly hair. Sakura was confused, but they weren't going to elaborate on what had gotten into them, so after a moment she moved away. She walked straight over to Sai and drew the slightly startled artist into a hug like she had the others. He was still a bit uncertain when it came to emotions and affection, but he was glad she was okay and back with them, so he gave her a small smile and awkwardly rubbed a gloved hand over her back.

"Thank you all for coming after me," she said sincerely as she pulled away.

"You're our teammate and our friend; of course we would come to get you back." Sai said.

Not to be left out of her thankful affections, Sakura hugged Yamato next, though a bit more reservedly. "Yamato-senpai, it's really good to see you again."

He smiled kindly and patted her shoulders. "You too, Sakura. We're glad you're safe."

_They_ weren't acting strangely. She told herself she was emotionally exhausted and overstressed, and had just imagined it from the other two.

Kakashi called out to them, and they all walked over. All except for Sasuke, who'd finally retrieved his sword from the snowy ground and now stared hollowly at the dark blood freezing to the cold blade. He was going to need a lot of time.

"Yamato, Sai, you should go ahead to Konoha and report what's happened. We'll follow you shortly," Kakashi said. "Tell the Hokage that Sakura is safe and unharmed. Also inform her that we are bringing Sasuke back of his own free will, and tell her what happened here." He paused, thinking for a moment before quietly adding, "But only report what's necessary."

Sai and Yamato wasted no time and with only a few words of parting, they left. The original members of Team Seven would follow after at a slower pace, taking time to recover and perhaps heal some of those old wounds before the storm of chaos hit them once they got back.

Sakura knew Kakashi meant when he said to only report what was 'necessary.' She moved away from the group as a heavy feeling settled over her. She'd never wanted them to lie for her, but she should have known they would, just as she would have done for any of them. A lie of omission was still a lie. They would bury the lie within the facts. She still didn't feel ashamed of anything she'd done, only now she felt guilty that she had dragged them into it with her. And they didn't even know the half of it yet. They would keep her secrets, but would they understand? Would things ever be the same again?

She located her pack, dropped carelessly in the snow nearer to the building, and rifled through it until she found what she was looking for. Then she retrieved Sasuke's cloak that he'd lost during the curse-seal transformation and walked over to him. He was shivering, and she seemed to be the only one who'd noticed he was bare-chested; the torn remnants of his shirt hung from his belted waist after his transformation, and the fool was turning blue from exposure to the cold winter air.

"Here," she said quietly, holding out one of her long-sleeved shirts that she was pretty sure would fit since he was fairly lean. It was a man's shirt anyway. He stared at it, then at her, and then looked at himself as if he just now realized his physical state. She gave him an expectant look. The shirt was going on even if she had to force it over his head. He finally took it and pulled it on with a light wince as his closed but sore wounds stretched. It was snug, but it fit, and she handed him his cloak next. He didn't thank her, but she could see the contrite and appreciative look in his dark eyes, and she smiled faintly before walking away and giving him space. It seemed Sasuke was still Sasuke after all.

She walked over to Naruto and Kakashi. "We should bury them," she heard Naruto say. They had gathered the bodies of the two shinobi who had come with Sasuke and laid them together.

"They came here to help Sasuke, didn't they?" he asked, turning to Sakura.

Sakura frowned. "They came with him, yes," she said stiffly.

"What's wrong?"

She nodded at Karin, "That one tried to kill me."

Naruto looked back at the burned body of the kunoichi. "Oh."

"They still deserve a proper burial," she added, though it was hard to say with images of Tobi's smiling face flashing through her mind.

"Did you kill her?"

_I wanted to_, she thought darkly. "No, Deidara did. Right after she killed Tobi."

Kakashi straightened slightly, as if he'd just picked up something in her undertone, but he was still silent and unreadable. Naruto looked like he was thinking hard to try and figure out the same thing.

Finally Naruto looked at her with mild suspicion. "Did he kill her because she killed his partner, or because she tried to kill _you_?"

Sakura raised her chin and looked directly into his eyes, her tone slightly defensive as she answered, "Both."

Naruto stared at her with a troubled frown, trying to understand. He didn't look angry, only confused. "Sakura-chan…"

He was cut off when Kakashi raised a hand. "We can talk about this later. We need to make it out of the mountains before nightfall or we'll be in trouble now that Yamato's gone." He opened his pack and pulled out a collapsible trench spade, and shoved the tip into the ground. "Another thing: we probably don't have enough supplies for the trip back." He glanced at Sakura.

"That's true," Naruto remarked as he pulled out his own spade and unfolded it. "Hey, is there anything in that building we could use?" he asked Sakura, completely missing his team leader's subtlety.

Sakura nodded tiredly.

"Good, we can grab some stuff after were done—"

"I'll get them," Sakura said.

Naruto looked like he wanted to say something, but he closed his mouth after a moment, and Kakashi spoke up before he changed his mind.

"Go ahead, Sakura. We'll take care of this."

She could see he didn't like it, but understood why she had to go alone. Kakashi always understood her. She gave him a small, grateful smile before turning and walking toward the old fortress.

"We'll wait here till you come out, Sakura-chan," Naruto called after her, finally seeming to pick up on the situation.

After she'd gone inside, Naruto paused in his digging and turned to Kakashi. He was about to speak, when to their surprise Sasuke walked up to them.

He stared at the lifeless forms of his comrades. He had somewhat expected this to happen, but he would have wished a different end all the same. They had come here for their own selfish purposes; Suigetsu to take another of the seven legendary swords, and Karin because she had nowhere else to go and had taken it upon herself to follow him for all the wrong reasons. He frowned as he gazed upon her mutilated corpse. He saw her try to kill Sakura, and he'd seen Sakura beat the hell out of her with very little effort, something he was still trying to wrap his head around. Karin had acted foolish, and she had paid the price. There was no point holding anger toward the dead.

"I'll help," he said quietly. They hadn't been his friends, but they had been with him for three years. Even if it was for their own reasons, they had come this far with him, and this was the least he could do.

Kakashi nodded and held out the handle of his spade. Sasuke took it silently and began to dig. Naruto watched him a moment, and then returned to the task as well.

* * *

Back inside the old fortress, Sakura finally let her calm and collected guard down. Her friends were concerned and confused, and probably a little suspicious. She didn't want them to worry, but it was so hard to hide how deeply affected she was by all of this. They weren't ready to hear the tale she had to tell.

Sakura walked slowly down the corridor, her footfalls echoing softly against the thick stone walls. She hadn't thought she would ever step foot inside this place again. She wished she hadn't. It felt like walking into a tomb.

She entered the common room. The splintered remains of the pool table were still piled in the corner, and she smiled fondly at the memory of Kisame smashing it to pieces. But her smile quickly faded. It was so cold in here, so _empty_. The enormous hearth was dark, the fire long burnt out. Last night it had blazed warmly as she and Deidara shared a private farewell. Emotions she'd felt standing there with him last night swelled once again. She quickly made her way across the room and down another corridor into the kitchen. She went into the pantry and stuffed anything that looked like it would be useful into her pack. When finished, she found herself rooted to the spot as the memory of Tobi rustling around in coming out to make her tea when she was upset flashed in her mind. _Oh, Tobi_... She sighed heavily and hung her head in a moment of sorrow.

Moving to her usual place at the table, Sakura sat tiredly and put her head in her hands. The four empty chairs stood as silent reminders of what was gone. Two of the occupants had left this world forever, and the other two she would never see again. It was too much. Memories flitted across her mind like ghosts, and she saw and felt them as if they had only just happened. She could hear voices and laughter echo hollowly in her ears, conversations held right here at this table, ranging from deeply profound to mindlessly entertaining. Now it was all gone.

It was too cold. It was too empty. The silence was mocking her.

With a heavy sigh she stood and left the room. She was finished here. She'd done what she came to do and there was no reason to linger, yet she found herself wandering slowly down another cold stone hallway, toward the private quarters.

Sakura paused at a particular point in the corridor that was achingly familiar. It was here that Itachi had held her against the wall and kissed her in a sweet, stolen interlude. If she closed her eyes she could still feel his lips on hers. Her hand found its way into the inner pocket of her cloak, closing around the cool metal of his necklace.

She continued on, her fingers loosely clasping the memento he'd unexpectedly given her in their final moments, until she reached the door to Itachi's room. The room she had shared with him for three nights of incredible passion and deeper understanding. Her fingertips lightly touched the cold surface of the door and she closed her eyes. As much as it called to her, she could not go in there. There were nothing but bittersweet memories and sorrow behind that door. What mattered was already locked deep in her heart, to be her secret treasure. It was how Itachi had wanted it to be, and she thought perhaps he had found some small measure of elusive peace in his last days and hours with her. She wouldn't grieve for him. He wouldn't want her to.

She continued walking with no real intention. Part of her wanted to take one last look, to remember everything that happened here one last time and see if there wasn't more she could take with her back to the life she'd known before. A life she wasn't sure she fit into anymore.

Sakura was mentally and emotionally exhausted, physically drained from large chakra output and a lack of sleep and food. Her teammates would be busy with the burials for some time and they wouldn't bother her in here, so she decided to take time for a hot shower, and made her way to the bath facilities.

Entering the cold tile room, she wearily removed her cloak and set it on the bench. It needed to be cleaned; it was spattered and smeared with blood. Tobi's, Itachi's, Sasuke's. Far too much blood for one cloak in a single day. She remembered thinking that Akatsuki cloaks were stained in blood when Deidara had offered his. She'd meant figuratively, but she realized there had to be quite a bit of the literal as well, and now she figured it was inevitably true even for the cloudless variety.

Cold air prickled her exposed skin as she undressed and turned on the water. She stepped into the steaming stall and let the hot water run over her aching, exhausted body with a heavy sigh. She hadn't really done much fighting, but she was still sweaty and grimy and there was blood on her hands and even her face. Not to mention she was wearing the same clothes as the day before since she had gone straight outside this morning…

_Oh Gods_.

Realization hit her so hard she had to brace a hand against the shower wall. _That's_ what was wrong with Kakashi and Naruto. She'd spent the night with Itachi, in his bed, engaged in amorous acts, and when her teammates each held her, got that close to her…their heightened senses had given her away.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut tightly and groaned. She hadn't wanted them to find out like this! In fact, she hadn't planned on telling them about her intimate relationship with Itachi at all. No wonder they'd barely suppressed their surprise and anger. Did they think he raped her? No…if they could smell him on her then they could almost certainly smell the remnants of their shared passion and traces of her own arousal. How humiliating.

Sakura had high hopes that her teammates would understand her feelings about her captors and the eventual friendships she'd developed with them. But _this_…this would go beyond their capacity to accept. She was a fool. She'd promised herself, had promised Itachi, that she would not regret. But it was hard not to when faced with the inevitable fallout within her team. They had risked their lives to come after her, and they were willing to lie to protect her from the possible ramifications of what she'd done while in captivity. She knew they would even lie about this. But would they forgive?

How monumentally selfish of her. They finally had Sasuke back. They were all safe and alive and going home. Their family had a chance to be whole again. And now because of her actions, she may have ruined everything.

It was the final weight on her already heavy shoulders. Something broke inside of her, and she sank weakly to the floor, hot streams of water pouring over her head and shoulders. All of it was just too much to take.

She'd barely begun to know Itachi on a deeper level. She had earned his trust and he had showed her a side of himself that no one else knew. Now he was dead; killed at last by the brother who was like a brother to her as well.

Tobi…loveable, naïve, kind-hearted Tobi, who died from a cowardly and despicable act, yet still smiled in his last moments because he was with friends.

Kisame, the man who could smash through a pool table in a single swipe yet drooled on the table when he passed out drunk. She would never hear his jokes again, or hear him tease her and everyone else in that voice that always sounded like he was enjoying his own private joke.

And Deidara, who had become such a close friend in such a short time, a natural kindred spirit who made her laugh with such little effort. Now she had lost him to the division of their loyalties and chosen lives. She would miss him for the rest of her life.

Sasuke, who was broken and hurting and needed their help but didn't know how to ask for it…would he want anything to do with her once the shock wore off and he really thought about what he'd seen between her and his brother? Would he hate her?

Kakashi, Naruto, Sai…would they be able to understand? Would they even want to? Had she become someone they no longer wanted to know?

Overcome with sorrow, Sakura wrapped her arms around her knees and wept. Naked and alone on the cold tiles, the water pouring over her like the tide of her grief, she didn't bother to muffle her sobs.

* * *

Sasuke didn't speak for four days. He kept almost entirely to himself, and they did their best not to push him when he wasn't ready. It was hardest for Naruto, who wanted nothing more than to talk to Sasuke about anything and everything until his voice gave out.

They worried Sasuke would try to take off. The closer they got to Fire country the more they grew concerned the he would change his mind and try to leave on his own. The last thing they wanted to do was use force. But every morning he was still there, and as distant and depressed as he was, he looked like he was where he wanted to be.

Sakura was nearly as withdrawn as Sasuke. She'd come out of the fortress with their supplies and a smile that never reached her eyes. No one asked her why she'd taken so long in there, and she was grateful.

During the day they traveled mostly in silence. At night, Sasuke would sit by himself and stare off into space. Sakura would also sit by herself, introverted in a way she hadn't been since Team Seven had started to crumble all those years ago. Naruto was losing his mind not knowing what to say or do, and Kakashi would bury his nose in his book and pretend he didn't notice any of it.

On the fourth day they reentered the village of Kanna, and Sakura shut down completely. It was clear that whatever happened here was painful to remember. Kakashi asked her if she wanted to forgo staying in town for the night, but she had insisted it was no problem. That night they dined in the quiet little restaurant attached to the inn they were staying at, in a secluded booth near the back, and Naruto tried hard to maintain a conversation because all the silence and depression and walking on eggshells was driving him crazy.

"I wonder what we'll do now that our long-ass mission is finally over," he said after several minutes of generic rambling about the food and anything else he could think of.

"It's not complete until we get back to Konoha," Kakashi pointed out mildly.

"That's true…but it's as good as done. You're not going anywhere, right Sasuke?" He grinned.

Sasuke had been looking at Naruto strangely since he had started this particular topic, already suspecting the truth.

"That's right. Our mission for the last three years has been to find _you_ and drag your ass home. That, and spying on Akatsuki."

"It's not to bring you back for trial…as long as you come willingly," Kakashi added, seeing his former student's eyes narrow suspiciously. Naruto still didn't think about the things he said sometimes. Thankfully, Sasuke didn't look ready to bolt.

Naruto's grin grew more fox-like. "The village wants to help you restore your clan. They'll probably be throwing girls at you left and right!" He laughed.

Sasuke did not look amused. In fact he looked slightly nervous. Several minutes later, his voice hoarse from days of silence, he quietly muttered, "Guys…" They all looked at him in surprise, but his dark gaze remained fixed on the tabletop. "Thank you…for not giving up on me."

"That's what teammates are for," Kakashi said. "They help each other, even through the worst."

"That's right!" Naruto added. "We gotta stick together. You always thought you didn't have a family, but you were always a part of ours."

Sasuke simply stared at Naruto, and then looked to Sakura, and Kakashi, and saw the same affirmation in all of their faces. He couldn't find a way to say how deeply moved he was in that moment, but he gave them a quiet nod of gratitude and returned his gaze to his lap.

It wasn't much, but somehow the air between them now felt a little lighter.

* * *

The next two days were stressful as they passed quickly and quietly through Earth country. Stone was furious about the recent incidents in their territory, and if they spotted any Leaf ninja passing through it would put even greater strain on the fragile ceasefire between their nations. Fortunately they were able to push straight through along the eastern edge, spending only one night within the borders before successfully crossing over into Grass.

Things were slowly getting better. At night Sasuke wouldn't sit so far from them anymore, and he was speaking a little. Sakura was a different story. She would talk, but only if spoken to. She would smile, but it was almost always fake.

The night they entered Grass country, Naruto decided he'd had enough. He wanted his family back, the way they should be. He needed to know that things were going to get better, and he was never one to let a problem work itself out. He looked over at Sakura, where she sat a few feet from the fire. "Sakura-chan…come over here." He patted a spot next to him on the dry leafy ground.

Sakura looked at him curiously, and after a hesitant moment, crawled over and sat a few feet away from him.

Naruto sighed. "I said come _here_." He leaned over and grabbed his surprised teammate, easily hauled her to the spot he intended next to him. He laid a concerned and brotherly arm around her shoulders and locked eyes with her. "Now what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I'm just a bit worn out."

He frowned. "Come on, Sakura…you can't lie to us that easily."

She looked away. Kakashi and Sasuke both watched her as well, and Sakura knew this time she wouldn't be able to back out of it. It was time to tell them the truth.

Naruto continued, his tone quiet and wounded. "It's been almost a week since we left that place, but it's like you're still back there. It's like you're not happy to be back with us."

Sakura felt a pang of guilt. "It's not like that. I don't want any of you to _ever_ think that. It's just…." She trailed off, not knowing how to begin.

"You think we're angry with you," Kakashi said quietly. She looked up and met his piercing gaze. "And you think we're suspicious about what we saw back there and along the trail."

Sakura hadn't even thought about what they may have learned while following her across the nations, but apparently there was even more incriminating evidence than she realized. She stared at the flames and nodded slowly. "There were things that happened…things I said and did that were completely unexpected. I don't feel ashamed or guilty about those things, but I don't want you to think badly of me because of it."

"You assumed we'd think you committed a betrayal," Kakashi said.

Sakura nodded faintly.

Without any accusation, he asked, "Well, did you?"

"To you guys…no. To Konoha…possibly."

Naruto squeezed her shoulders. "I don't believe that, Sakura-chan. We know you'd never intentionally do anything against Konoha. Breaking the rules isn't always the same thing as betrayal. Just look at all the times _I've_ broken the rules," he chuckled. "Betrayal happens in the heart. Actions can be looked at as circumstance; like with Sasuke. We all understand why he did what he did, and that he thought he had to do it. We just wished he would have trusted us more."

Sasuke was uncomfortable being the new focus of attention, but he held Naruto's gaze with newfound respect.

"We all love you, Sakura-chan," Naruto continued. "I think even Sasuke does in his own bastard way." Sakura couldn't help but smile as the stoic Uchiha blushed faintly. "We would never just write you off, no matter what you've done."

"It's true there are things that…concern us," Kakashi said, "But we trust your judgment and trusted that you had your reasons. We agreed to wait until you could explain."

She smiled gratefully. "I really don't know where to begin…"

After a long moment of quiet, Naruto said, "How about the fact that you stopped a fight between us and Akatsuki. You asked that—" he caught himself "—Deidara…to stop attacking Kakashi, and he _did_. Just because you asked him to. Akatsuki aren't known for their mercy…so why would he do that?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Because he was only there on orders from their leader. He hated Itachi and he really didn't care about their mission. And as much as he wanted to fight you, he knew it would hurt _me_ to see any of you get hurt. Because he's my friend."

Naruto frowned. "Your _friend_? Remember what he did to Gaara? Not that he fought and kidnapped him; I get that he was carrying out a mission. But what he did _after_. He's _crazy,_ Sakura."

Sakura shot him a reproving glare. "I know that. But he isn't just 'the mad-bomber of Akatsuki' any more than _you_ are just 'the demon-fox of Konoha.' You of all people should know better than to judge others strictly based on preconceptions."

Naruto looked away.

Sasuke spoke up, surprising them. "So you're saying they're good people underneath?" he asked, his tone a mixture of incredulity and genuine curiosity.

"Not _good_ people, necessarily…just _people_. Real people. Not monsters. There are good and bad things about all of them, and they have reasons for being the way they are. They're shinobi, like us. Their goals are unacceptable to those who want peace, and their methods are ruthless. But honestly, there are things _we_ do in the name of duty that are less than noble as well. I realized that while I was with them. They never treated me cruelly, and I was able to see them for _who_ and not _what_ they were," she finished quietly.

Kakashi nodded knowingly. "It's a universal truth that most shinobi learn with time and experience. Sometimes it makes it harder to do our duty, knowing that in the end we aren't so different from our enemies. Sometimes it makes it harder to feel right about the things you've done. True wisdom always comes with a price. What's important is that you didn't lose yourself along the way."

Naruto was thoughtful for a long moment, and then said, "You have a good heart, Sakura-chan. And you have good instincts. I still don't understand it…but I want to." He loosened his hold around her shoulders and turned to fully face her. "Will you tell me about it? About them?"

So she did.

She told them about Deidara, of how she destroyed and then healed his arm, and how he opened up to her once he began to trust her. Of how he stuck up for her when she struggled with the demanding expectations of their lifestyle, including the origin of her new cloak. She talked about his relationship with Tobi, how it reminded her of the brotherly love-hate Naruto shared with Sai. She told of how she and Deidara identified with each other on so many levels and how much he made her laugh and raised her spirits when she was spiraling downward. And of how he'd wanted a way out of their situation almost as much as she did, even if only for her sake.

With sadness in her voice she talked about Tobi, of how he was so willing to forgive and forget what others said and did to him, of how funny he could be with his naivety and childlike mannerisms. How kindhearted he was and how he just wanted everyone to be friends. She told them she thought he'd probably only been with Akatsuki by chance; that he just wanted to be part of a group, to have people to belong with. With tears in her eyes she talked about his last moments, how he'd been happy to leave the world with friends at his side.

She talked about Kisame and his gruff cheerfulness. Of how he loved to tease and be teased, and that he had the crudest yet funniest jokes. She told them about his silly nickname for her, of how he was clever but not intellectual, and how he was the master of a good innuendo. She laughed as she recounted about their drinking contest; how she'd won and that he never figured out why.

When she talked about Itachi her voice grew somber and guarded, out of sensitivity to Sasuke and her own desire for privacy. She didn't tell them about healing his eyes, but talked about the conversations they'd had during that time. Of how intelligent, polite and cultured he was. How if you understood his subtleties, he was not as cold as he seemed, and how he would sometimes even be teasing, especially to his partner. She did not explain the intimate nature of their relationship, though she knew they were aware of it, and was grateful they did not ask. She simply told them that he was not a monster but rather the product of his upbringing, and that while he'd certainly lost his sanity somewhere along the way, there was indeed a human being inside, and he eventually trusted her enough to show her that part of himself. She looked into Sasuke's eyes as she said this, and saw a flicker of understanding there.

When she finished her tale it was silent, her companions speechless and thoughtful as they processed everything she told them. Naruto simply wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, and this time she returned it with a true smile, knowing he would understand in time and that he held nothing against her.

Later that night as they settled down to sleep, Sakura crawled over to where Kakashi sat with his back against a tree as he took up the first watch. She settled with her side pressed against his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Kakashi…for understanding," she said softly.

He looked down at her. "Understanding what?"

"Everything," she murmured, and nestled herself further into his side as sleep began to overtake her.

Without disturbing the drowsy girl, Kakashi lifted his arm from under her head and laid it around her shoulders, letting her head settle against him. Sakura smiled sleepily, and he did as well before returning to his book.

* * *

Two days later they finally approached the gates of Hidden Leaf. They'd been spotted long before, and were allowed to pass undisturbed.

Sasuke was openly anxious, but he walked with his head up, resigned to whatever awaited him inside the walls of his former home. Naruto walked at his side, and Sakura was on his other side. They had dreamed of this day, and after six hard years it was finally here. The autumn sun was shining, the cold of early winter left behind as they traveled. It felt like the burden they'd all been carrying was left behind with their southward journey as well.

But they knew it wasn't going to be that easy. As they got closer they could see two squads of ANBU waiting inside the gates and along the top of the wall, and almost reflexively Naruto slung and arm over Sasuke's shoulders and Sakura linked hers through his elbow. They would be there for him no matter what happened next. Sasuke looked a bit startled at the contact, but he didn't protest or resist. He was glad they were there.

"Sasuke…do you want us to come with you to wherever they take you?" Sakura asked.

Naruto looked at her like she was crazy; he fully intended to stick to Sasuke's side even if the final destination was a prison cell.

Sasuke looked at her, and gave her a small nod. She smiled and squeezed his arm, and he turned his gaze forward again.

Sakura looked back to where Kakashi walked behind them, just like he'd always done when they were still Team Seven. He had just put his book away, knowing there would soon be business to deal with, and he gave her a patented eye crinkle. She smiled and stretched out her arm to him, and with an amused glint in his dark eye he reached out and grabbed her hand, letting her pull him forward to walk with the rest of them. They entered the gates that way, but stopped and disentangled just inside when the ANBU moved to surround them.

"Hatake-senpai," the captain addressed. "Uchiha Sasuke is to be escorted under guard to the Hokage's office immediately upon entering Konoha."

Kakashi nodded. "You have been informed that he's returning without resistance and is to be treated accordingly?"

"We have," the masked nin replied. "The Godaime has also ordered that Team Kakashi accompany Uchiha to the Hokage's office for debriefing."

"Well, that makes things easier," Kakashi said lightly, stuffing his hands in his pockets and relaxing into his usual slouch. He started to amble toward the Hokage Tower, and the ANBU picked up his lead.

The white-masked shinobi moved to a guard formation around Sasuke, but kept a respectful distance upon receiving a '_back off'_ glare from Naruto. Even ANBU knew better than to cause unnecessary trouble with the jinchuuriki. Sasuke noted this silent exchange, but still gave no outward reaction to his current predicament.

As they made their way toward the Hokage Tower they earned many surprised and curious stares from civilians and shinobi, due to the fact that ANBU were rarely seen out in the open during broad daylight. A couple of the ninja they passed even recognized who the masked elite were guarding and raced away to tell everyone they knew. News of Sasuke's return would be all over Konoha in a matter of hours.

They entered the Tower and ascended the stairs, stopping before the great carved double doors of the Hokage's office. The ANBU captain knocked and announced their arrival, and then opened the door. The two squads stayed back, watching vigilantly from the hallway.

The Hokage half-sat against the front of the massive desk with her arms crossed over her ample chest. Shizune stood off to the side. The first thing Tsunade did was rush forward and sweep Sakura into a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay! I've been worried sick, are you alright?"

Sakura gave a small, breathless laugh and returned the suffocating hug. "I'm fine, Shishou."

Tsunade pulled back to look her apprentice in the eye, grabbing her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. I can't believe I let something like that happen, to you of all people. Are you sure you're okay?"

Sakura nodded. "I am. They never did anything to hurt me."

The Godaime gave her a strange look. "Really. Well, I'm certainly glad, and I suppose it's something we'll discuss later, in private." She straightened and turned to face the others, fixing firm amber eyes on the long-missing Uchiha.

"Well, Uchiha Sasuke…you've finally deigned to return to Konoha?" she said sternly, crossing her arms again.

Sasuke met her gaze and gave a curt nod. "Yes."

"And you return of your own free will, with no ulterior agenda?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"And you intend to stay, permanently?"

"That is my wish," he said quietly.

"Are you aware of how much trouble we've gone through to bring your ass back here?" she asked sharply.

Before Sasuke could form an answer there was another knock at the door, and the recently summoned Yamato and Sai entered.

"Ah, good, there you are," Tsunade addressed them without looking, still glaring at Sasuke, who was holding up remarkably well under her intimidating gaze. "You're just in time to hear Uchiha's explanation. Why he took off, why he's returned, and everything in between." She raised a delicate eyebrow. "Start talking."

For the first time ever, Sasuke related all the facts. Of how Itachi had repeatedly tortured him and threatened to eliminate all of his weakness by killing anyone he ever got close to. Of how Orochimaru had attacked him in the Forest of Death and gave him the curse-seal, and later how he offered to make him strong enough to eliminate his brother. Of the nature of the curse-seal and the effect it had on him, how it fed upon his darker emotions and amplified them, making it difficult to focus on anything else. How it compelled him to seek out its origin: Orochimaru. Sasuke was more open and honest he had ever been. It was also more than anyone had ever heard him say at one time.

"So you're saying the curse-seal drove you to leave Konoha and seek out Orochimaru," Tsunade said flatly.

"It clouded my judgment, yes," he admitted, "But I don't offer that as an excuse; my actions were my own."

Tsunade nodded faintly. "Keep going."

He talked about his time at Sound, and of his training with Orochimaru. He told how the Sannin distrusted and withheld things from him because Sasuke refused to bend to his will, because he wouldn't kill his defeated training opponents, and because the Sannin was afraid of letting him get too powerful when he wasn't a loyal disciple. He talked about the circumstances surrounding Orochimaru's death, and how it was the result of trying to leave Sound after realizing Orochimaru had no further intentions of teaching him. He talked about the past three years and how he'd traveled in search of his brother. Finally, he talked about his discovery of Sakura's abduction and how he followed the trail meant for Naruto, in order to find Itachi and confront him, eventually resulting in his brother's defeat. And that afterward, he agreed to return to Konoha with his former teammates.

"Why didn't you return before, after you left Sound?" the Hokage wanted to know.

"Because I still needed to avenge my clan. I needed to be sure nothing would stand in the way of that. Also because I didn't want anyone I cared about to get involved and become potential targets. And because…I wasn't sure if I would be allowed back," he finished quietly, the humility in his tone surprising them all.

"And yet, knowing you may be tried for treason and executed, you agreed to return anyway?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade looked at him long and hard. "Very well. Is there anything else you have to say for yourself?"

Sasuke took a deep breath. "Only that I apologize for any trouble I have caused for Konoha by my actions, and I will accept whatever decision is made regarding my fate."

The Hokage gave a curt laugh. "Like you have any choice in the matter."

Naruto crossed his arms, mimicking her pose. "Oh, come _on_, Baa-chan…he came back on his own and he wants to be part of the village again. Don't be such a hard-ass."

"Naruto!" Dual exclamations from Shizune and Sakura rang out at his brash words, but Tsunade appeared to ignore his disrespect.

"Shishou, would you like us to wait outside while you make your decision?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"That won't be necessary. I've already decided."

Taking this to mean bad news, Naruto quickly backpedaled from his earlier defiance. "Baa-chan…are you sure you don't want to think about it some more? Take in all the facts?"

"I've had a whole week to deliberate while waiting for you to come back. In fact, I've had six years to figure it out. In all honesty Sasuke's story is of little importance. Most of it I already knew. But his willingness to be honest and forthcoming was a way for me to gauge how serious he is about returning to Konoha.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the Hokage said firmly. The room held its breath. "You were trained as a shinobi of Hidden Leaf, yet you left the village without permission to pursue your own selfish ends. You joined forces, however loosely, with enemies of Konoha. Subsequent efforts to return you to this village resulted in Leaf shinobi being injured by those associated with you, and twice our shinobi were injured by you directly, one of them almost fatally. That would be Naruto, by the way," she added pointedly, and Sasuke frowned slightly.

"Those are all facts. However, it is also a confirmed fact that you have never killed, allowed, or even witnessed a Konoha shinobi being killed by our enemies. Nor did you reveal any information about this village, and there is no evidence that you have ever plotted against Konoha."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "You are a selfish, arrogant little prick with an unmerited superiority complex. You care only for yourself and your own needs, and care nothing for how you hurt others to get what you want. I would hope that living in hell with that snake bastard has taught you a thing or two about appreciating the good things in your life and not disregarding what should be precious to someone who's been through what you have. But that remains to be seen in time, and is irrelevant to this case."

The Hokage straightened and returned to her professional, authoritative tone. "The combination of all of these facts leads me to one conclusion. Your circumstances are highly extenuating to say the least. You have endured a great deal of psychological trauma and have been conditioned from a very young age by those who are masters of manipulation, both Itachi and Orochimaru. The nature of the curse-seal and the effects it can have on an already damaged psyche have already been documented with other victims of Orochimaru's experimentations, and that also must be taken into account. It is because of these things, and because you eliminated two huge threats to this village in defeating Orochimaru and Itachi, and because you are a highly skilled shinobi with the potential to be a great asset to this village, _and_ because you returned of your own free will and are prepared to face judgment, that I have made the decision to pardon your actions and reverse your status as a missing-nin."

Sakura let out the breath she'd been holding. Naruto whooped excitedly, pumping his fist in the air. "Haha! See, Sasuke? I knew it would all work out!"

Tsunade raised a hand. "There are _conditions_, of course."

Everyone sobered somewhat, though the excited feeling lingered.

"You will be placed on probation for one year, effective immediately. During this time you will be under surveillance by members of our jounin elite. You are not allowed to carry weapons or use ninjutsu for the first three months of your probation. Taijutsu will still be allowed, in training only. If you are caught breaking these rules your status as a Leaf shinobi will be permanently revoked, your chakra will be sealed and you may face additional punishment. After the initial three months you will be allowed to use weapons and ninjutsu _only_ under strictly supervised training for an additional three months. If you comply satisfactorily in the first six months, those restrictions will be lifted, but you will not be allowed to leave the village for the remaining six months, and your supervision will continue throughout the one-year period.

"You will also undergo periodic psychological evaluations from our medical staff and ANBU. At the end of the probationary period you will be returned to active status. I am aware that your skills are easily at jounin level, but in adherence to protocol you will be reinstated as a genin—your last earned rank. You will of course be free to participate in the soonest chuunin exams following the lift of your probation, and providing you pass you may proceed to take the soonest jounin exams after that. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding the necessary references," she added wryly, glancing at Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, who all wore expressions ranging from nonchalant to downright devious. "Upon receiving jounin rank you are free to pursue your own career path, though I doubt I would be wrong in assuming you will want to be assigned with your former teammates.

"The final condition of your pardon is this: you will cooperate in returning the Sharingan bloodline to Konoha. This is no doubt one of your own personal goals. You will be allowed to choose a partner for yourself, of course, but you must do so within the next three years or a suitable candidate will be arranged for you."

Naruto snickered behind his hand, but ceased when Tsunade and Sakura both shot him warning glares.

"Do you understand and accept these terms, Uchiha Sasuke?"

"I do. Thank you, Hokage-sama," Sasuke said quietly, and even gave a small respectful bow.

"One last thing, Uchiha. You're _damn_ lucky you have these two on your side," Tsunade said, indicating Naruto and Sakura. "I hope you appreciate everything they've done for you."

Naruto grinned from ear to ear, moved over to Sasuke and nudged him with his elbow. "Looks like we gotta get you a girl, bastard. You may be a pretty-boy but you've kinda got a stick up your ass. Want some tips on playing the field?" He winked slyly.

"What would you know about playing the field? You turned into a pathetic pile of lovesick goo the moment Hinata batted her pretty purple eyes at you," Sakura teased.

Naruto laughed sheepishly and scratched his head.

"You three can play catch up later," Tsunade interrupted, "There is still a matter I need to discuss with all of you."

They all turned their attention back to the Hokage.

"Akatsuki is still out there," she continued, sobering the group. "And their goal is still to retrieve the Kyuubi. In fact, now that they have the other eight bijuu their _only_ goal is you, Naruto. Jiraiya tells me they are running out of time before they will no longer be able to achieve whatever it is they're after. They're getting desperate. The Kyuubi is the last piece in Akatsuki's plans. We absolutely _cannot_ allow them to get ahold of it. Because of this, the council and I have decided that Naruto will not leave the village again until the Akatsuki threat is neutralized."

"WHAT!"

Tsunade gave him a hard look. "This decision is final, so don't even start. Given how easy it was for this last attempt to draw Naruto out into the open, it is highly likely that they'll try again with more force. Those closest to Naruto must now also be put under protection and kept within the village. Sakura, Hinata, and yes, Kakashi, this even includes you."

The surprise was visible in the Copy Ninja's eye. After twenty-five years of service to the village, he was being grounded.

"I understand how you feel about this, Kakashi. But you will be with Naruto as the jounin keeping watch over Sasuke, and will supervise his reintegration into Konoha. In addition, you'll be close to Naruto and in a position to protect him should anything happen. This task is more important than any mission I could assign you. Besides, you've shed more blood for this village than just about anyone, and it's about time you took a rest. Think of it as an extended vacation with pay. And if you're _that_ opposed to a vacation, I could easily draw up mission papers for it. That goes for _all_ of you."

Kakashi sighed and gave the Godaime a resigned nod. Naruto had been ready to flip out, but calmed a bit at hearing he would be spending most of his time with Sasuke, and that Hinata would be around all the time as well. He felt guilty that so many people were being suspended because of him, but at least they were getting paid, and he was happy they would all be safe from his enemies.

"I understand the impact of taking so many of Konoha's finest off of active status, but in the end it will be worth it if your lives are not needlessly sacrificed and Akatsuki never get their hands on the Kyuubi. _That_ is more important than anything else. Now, Sakura, you will be supervising Sasuke's psych evaluations, since you know him. The rest of the time you can spend at the hospital or with your teammates. Sai, when not on missions with ANBU, you will also train with your regular team. Does everyone understand the situation?"

Everyone gave their somewhat reluctant agreement. Sakura was inwardly relieved. Tsunade had made sure what happened to her wouldn't happen again. And she was secretly glad that her team would likely never come into contact with Akatsuki again. She would never have to deal with the prospect of facing off as enemies with the two she had come to call friends.

"Man, this is gonna be super boring," Naruto sighed, "but I guess it's not so bad if were all gonna be in the village together."

"After three years of constantly being away and living in trees, I think we could use a nice long break," Sakura said.

Naruto's grin turned fox-like as he faced his old rival. "It's me and you all the time now, bastard. I'm gonna kick your ass all over Konoha!"

Sasuke glared indignantly. Sakura smiled at the two of them. _Just like old times_.

Naruto laughed. "Aw, come on Sasuke-_chan_, you _know_ you missed me…"

Sasuke's scowl deepened, but the corners of his lips betrayed him by curling just enough to notice. "Shut up…moron."

Naruto flashed the biggest grin yet. Somehow, he just knew everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Sakura walked unhurried through the quiet streets of Konoha, the cool air of late afternoon giving her a slight chill. It was too warm for her cloak here, and the familiar cut of it earned her odd stares, but she missed it. She'd worn it nonstop for so long that she felt lacking without it.

Or maybe there was a deeper significance there, and it was more than absence of simple cloth that pulled at her subconscious.

She turned the corner onto the familiar path. Up ahead her destination came into view, and she saw that he was already waiting.

Sasuke leaned against the wooden railing of the old red bridge. Team Seven's bridge. His arms were crossed over his chest, his head bowed slightly. He looked more like his brother than ever, and yet the differences had never been clearer. It was all a reminder of how far they had come, how much they had all changed.

He looked up at her approach, though he gave no other sign of greeting.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked, recalling his penchant for being ridiculously early to everything.

He shrugged. "Not really."

"Naruto hasn't been driving you too crazy, has he?" She smiled knowingly, imagining the antics their friend had been up to the past two days. Sakura had been busy debriefing with the Hokage and ANBU, relating her experience and what she'd learned during captivity. In the end ANBU was placated, but Tsunade was a very perceptive woman, and she'd sat down with Sakura later to talk about the _whole_ truth. She was shocked to hear certain things, to say the least, but Tsunade had experience with gray areas, and had eventually understood.

"Hn," he grunted, though there was a hint of exasperated amusement in his tone.

Sakura chuckled. "He's just excited to have his best friend back. I'm glad too."

Sasuke looked at her then, and she saw what may have been gratitude and a mutual feeling pass behind his dark eyes. But this was Sasuke, of course, so the sentiment never made it past his lips. It didn't matter; she could see right through him anyway.

"Why did you want to meet?"

"I wanted to talk about what happened with Itachi," she said quietly.

He stared at her, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I mean, about _me_ and Itachi…and what happened between us."

Sasuke straightened and inhaled deeply, staring out over the stream that fed into the hot spring. He was quiet for a long moment. "You don't have to explain. I don't need to know," he said finally.

Sakura nodded. "I know, and it means a lot to hear you say that and mean it. But I _want_ to. I want to explain everything. Because there are things you should understand about him, and maybe about me as well."

He searched her eyes, not sure if he really wanted to hear what she was about to tell him. Then he gave a small sigh and nodded.

Sakura closed her eyes a moment and readied herself before beginning, "First of all, I want you to know it had nothing to do with you. It wasn't because he looked or acted like you, or any other subconscious thing. I got over you a long time ago." She smiled wryly. "Itachi knew that as well, and you need to know it had nothing to do with you for him either. What developed between us was unexpected, and for a long time, unwanted by both of us. We both struggled against it, but it was _real_ and in the end we took a chance. It's important that you understand it was on equal ground, that I knew what I was doing from the very first moment, and that I don't in any way regret what happened."

After a moment Sasuke gave a small nod to indicate he understood. "How did it start?"

"Well, at first he was an intolerable asshole, just like you can be sometimes. And I was afraid of him and hateful toward him because of the things he'd done. But he surprised me, because he wasn't the evil monster I imagined him to be. He fascinated me, and he that he thought the same about me. That particular conversation was about you, actually, and the things he hinted at that night that made me realize there was far more to him than _anyone_ realized. What he told me confused me and I got angry. I got in his face and yelled at him." She saw Sasuke's brow raise in surprise. "I went too far and he got angry, like what I said upset him, and that was really surprising because he wasn't supposed to care. I thought he would hurt me then, but…instead he nearly kissed me."

Sasuke frowned slightly, but remained silent.

Sakura took this as a positive sign to continue. "We were attracted to each other in spite of ourselves, and as much as it scared me to think about it, it was more than purely physical. One day, I decided to make him an offer…and I healed his eyes," she said cautiously.

Sasuke blinked and his gaze fixed on her sharply.

"I did it for you, Sasuke," she explained calmly. "I knew that you wouldn't feel your revenge was complete if you only defeated him because he was half blind. I told him as much, and he agreed to it anyway. What may be more important than the fact that I healed him, is that he _allowed_ it, knowing I could easily kill him. I think he was beginning to trust me. One night we were discovered by hunter nins and we had to fight. Itachi got poisoned. I saved his life that night, because his death belonged to you, and honestly someone of his caliber deserved better than such an insignificant end." Sasuke nodded reluctantly, and Sakura took a deep breath. "I think I know some of what happened between you inside the Mangekyou…because that night, in his delirium, he told me things about his past. Later, he told me he wanted me to tell you…_after_. He knew you would kill him, Sasuke. He wanted you to… He—"

"I know. He showed me…everything. In the end, I saw it all," Sasuke said, his voice nearly dropping to a whisper.

"Then you understand what I mean about there being _more_ to him…"

He uncrossed his arms and turned around, hands bracing the wooden railing as he bowed his head and gazed into the running water below. He nodded wearily, and after a long moment of silence she realized he was waiting for her to continue.

She turned around and stood side by side with him, mirroring his posture with her hands on the rail. "We were only really together for three days," she said softly. "But I learned a lot about him, and about myself, and about the world while I was with Akatsuki. I can't say for sure, but I think maybe…he was able to find some sort of peace at the end, that maybe I helped him somehow. I hope I did, anyway."

Sasuke didn't respond, but inwardly he found that he agreed. Though he could never admit it out loud, a tiny part of him was grateful to her for it.

"Watching the two of you fight…" she continued, "It took everything I had not to interfere. I didn't want either of you to die, but I knew from the beginning that it would come to that. There was no way to save you both. Itachi's death was the only way to save you and Naruto, and in the end it was the only way to save Itachi as well. It was what he wanted, and he would only allow _you_ to do it."

He nodded, his expression once again haunted. "I just wish I would have known."

She gave him a sad smile. "No…because then you couldn't have done it, Sasuke. He knew that. He set you free, and in the end you did the same for him."

Sasuke met her gaze, his dark eyes bright with unshed tears. He looked down at the water again, and she moved her hand from the railing to cover his. He returned her grasp, closing his fingers around hers in a gesture of gratitude and understanding.

Never in a million years would she have thought to be here with Sasuke like this. But standing here beside him, she was glad it had come to be this way between them. Though it was a far cry from the fancies of her twelve year-old self, she wouldn't have it any other way.

After a moment he let go and straightened up off the railing, and she did the same. He silently debated something, and finally asked, "Did you love him?"

Sakura stared at him. He was serious, and he was waiting for an answer. She sighed. "No. I don't know. Love is about accepting all of someone, and there were so many things about Itachi that I could never accept. Too much of what he'd done was beyond forgiveness, no matter the reason. Too much of him was impossible to love. And as for him…I believe he felt for me as much as he could, but I don't think it was possible for him to feel love in that way. But he loved _you_. He told me so." She smiled. Sasuke said nothing, and she continued. "But there were also things about him that were good. It was that aspect of him that I cared for. I honestly can't define what was between us. I only know what we had in that short time was _real_, and that it will always hold a special place in my heart."

Sasuke watched her, assessing everything she'd just told him. "Good," he said finally. Sakura gave him a questioning look. He sighed and explained himself. "If it had been only a physical thing, or a way to get back at me somehow, I would probably hate you for it. But because it was more than that, because it truly meant something to you, and maybe to him as well…I think I can understand. I don't hold anything against you."

She smiled faintly. "I didn't need your acceptance, but it means a lot to have it. Thank you for understanding."

Sasuke stared at her, amazed again by the enormous difference in her personality, in her confidence and the way she carried herself. This new Sakura kicked asses and took names, and she didn't back down or apologize for any of it. Maybe deep down she'd always been that way, and he just never noticed. He liked her this way, and thought that now they could truly be friends.

Sakura noticed the appraising way he was looking at her. "What?"

He shook his head and smirked. "You've changed."

She nodded. "We all have."

"That's true. Things won't be the same as before."

"That's probably a good thing! Anyway, severe dysfunction never stopped us before," she teased, and he emitted a huff that sounded suspiciously close to a laugh.

She suddenly noticed that the sun was setting. "Oh! I think we're late…" They were meeting everyone at Ichiraku for dinner. She'd asked Sasuke to meet her here beforehand and they'd lost track of time. Sasuke looked slightly wary about being around so many people. Sakura swatted him playfully on the arm. "Come on, you'd better get used to it! If we force Kakashi into going every week you better believe _you_ don't stand a chance."

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and resignedly fell into step beside her. "So…" he said as they walked down the path, "I suppose you'd probably say no if I asked you to marry me and help restore my clan…"

Sakura stopped in her tracks and gaped at him. She stood utterly speechless with her mouth hanging open, debating whether or not to punch his lights out, until she noticed the sly curve of his lips and the devious look in his dark eyes.

"Sasuke…" she said in awe, "did you just…make a _joke_?"

His smirk widened into a small smile, and he casually continued walking.

She stared after him, in shock at his unknown capacity for devastating humor.

After a moment Sasuke looked back over his shoulder, still smirking. "Come on, Sakura, they're waiting for us."

Sakura laughed softly and hurried to catch up with him, and they continued down the road to meet their friends.


	19. Epilogue: Full Circle

**Perception**

Epilogue: Full Circle

* * *

The music faded to silence, and Sakura thanked her dance partner with a smile before stepping away. She watched as Konohamaru walked over to Moegi, his feisty red haired teammate and almost-girlfriend, and was promptly smacked upside the head. Sakura chuckled; that's what he got for not-so-discreetly trying to grab her ass as they danced.

She located an empty table at one end of the large hall and made her way toward it. She'd been standing most of the day and her feet were killing her; she wasn't used to wearing heels. Ino had a fit over her this morning as they got ready and her friend did her hair into an elegant chignon, informing her that she was actually quite pretty when she made an effort. Sakura had made sure to offer her own backhanded compliments in return.

Thinking of her friend, her eyes scanned the room until she located the busty busybody who wore the same lavender silk dress as Sakura. Ino was over by the buffet, looking perfectly comfortable in her heels as she fed little morsels from the plate in her hand to Chouji. Shikamaru leaned against the wall a few feet away, looking thoroughly revolted with his teammate's mushy behavior. Temari was even less approving of the public display, but Sakura also noticed the way she kept eyeing Shikamaru in his formalwear and guessed that the Sand kunoichi was resisting the urge to act on her own affectionate impulses.

Enjoying people-watching, she scanned the room for more familiar faces amid the crowd. Shizune sat at a table with Genma, blushing furiously as he whispered in her ear. Next she spotted Tsunade, looking bored to death and more than a little drunk as she tried to pay attention to a mostly one-sided conversation with Hyuuga Hiashi. She kept stealing exasperated glances in Jiraiya's direction, who was predictably flirting with everything in a skirt. Standing next to the Hyuuga clan head was Neji, stoically self-important as always. Tenten had her arm linked with his, clad in the same lavender dress and looking rather stunning with her normally pinned up hair down around her shoulders.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Tenzou heading toward the exit and waved goodbye when he glanced in her direction. He waved back with a smile and continued out of the hall. He wasn't very comfortable in large groups after living isolated and behind a white mask for so many years, and she knew he'd stayed this long only out of courtesy. It was strange to see him around more often, and even stranger to call him by his real name. She'd known him only as Yamato for the last three years, but he'd recently left ANBU and would be taking up a genin team once the next class graduated, so his alias was no longer necessary. She felt a bit sorry for the genin who would get him as a sensei; he could be quite a hardass and a little scary when he wanted to be. But he was a good man and she knew he would make a great sensei, and she looked forward to seeing him at more of their weekly Ichiraku dinners.

At the other end of the room amid a crowd of richly dressed aristocrats she saw Gaara and his brother Kankurou. The Kazekage looked nearly as bored as the Hokage, though decidedly more sober as he listened to random nobles talk his ear off about things he obviously didn't care about. Politics and diplomatic formalities aside, the former jinchuuriki was only here for one reason.

There were quite a few nobility and highly influential people present. They were balanced by an equal number of ninja, and everyone was dressed in their finest. The change in some people was so drastic they were barely recognizable, Kiba and Shino for example. Trust a wedding to do a better job of disguising shinobi than a mask.

Speaking of masks, Sakura hadn't seen Kakashi in a couple hours. He was probably hiding somewhere with his book. That's what he usually did if he had no viable excuse to leave a social gathering. Of all her teammates, Kakashi had been the most understanding about what she went through during her time among Akatsuki, and the changes that experience had caused in her. He was more world-wise than the others, and he had his own darker experiences to draw perspective from. He had never judged her. She eventually told him everything that happened during her surreal captivity, and he'd understood. _Really_ understood, not just accepted and moved past it like Sasuke had, or shrugged it off like Sai, or simply trusted her judgment and conceded that she must have a point like Naruto.

Six months had passed since Sakura returned home and discovered she no longer viewed the world and the people in it the same way. In many ways she was more understanding, more accepting. But in some ways she was less so, more critical of others when she heard them speak the same hypocrisies she once believed. In a way she supposed she was a bit darker, now that she accepted the truth about herself. This was the price of wisdom Kakashi had mentioned, and Sakura could now see the same wisdom in the eyes of many older ninja, in the eyes of the Hokage, and all those who had experienced life-changing revelations of their own.

Sakura was proud of her newfound wisdom, and wouldn't trade it for anything. But in a way it saddened her, because it separated her from her peers. Of all her classmates, only Sasuke understood the changes within her, for the changes within him were deeper and darker than her own. Her short time with Akatsuki had truly altered her life. She liked to believe it was for the better, despite everything.

Most of the time she was happy. Her family was reunited, and they would become stronger than ever before. But she still thought about her time with Akatsuki, and the memories were bittersweet. The cloak Deidara gave her was tucked away in her closet where she would see it from time to time and remember when it had been like a part of her. Itachi's necklace she kept hidden away, a physical reminder of the secret moments they'd shared. That time would always be a part of her, and so would the men she still thought of as friends. It pained her at times, because she missed them; those gone forever and those who remained.

Kisame and Deidara were still out there somewhere. Akatsuki was still out there, and as the months passed she began to wonder just when Akatsuki would make its move. Would she see them again? Would she have to fight against them to protect Naruto? She still had hope it wouldn't come to that. There were only five Akatsuki remaining, and their ranks wouldn't be filled anytime soon. If Konoha or some other village managed to eliminate only one or two more members, there was a good chance the entire organization would crumble. If that didn't happen, Sakura hoped they could hold out until the mysterious 'deadline' for the Kyuubi extraction passed and they had no more use for the demon inside her best friend. Wishful thinking, but stranger things had happened in her lifetime.

Chastising herself for thinking ominous thoughts when she should be celebrating, Sakura looked around the hall for one of her elusive teammates. She didn't have to search long, because there was a sudden burst of cheerful voices to her right, and she caught a flash of white out of the corner of her eye. With a smile she stood and turned to greet the newlyweds.

Naruto was bursting at the seams with joyful energy, the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his sunny features. He was incredibly handsome in the formal wedding attire no one would have ever pictured him wearing. His arm was around Hinata, who smiled nearly as big, looking absolutely gorgeous in a snowy white kimono with shades of purple orchids decorating the hem.

Everyone thought rowdy, hyperactive Naruto would be impossible to live with during his confinement to the village, but he surprised them all. He was so happy to have Sasuke back and hang out with his best friend all the time again that he'd barely complained about not being allowed to go on missions. The Uchiha hadn't been allowed to use weapons or ninjutsu at first, but taijutsu was allowed, so they spent the first three months of Sasuke's probation gleefully pummeling each other at every opportunity. Sakura couldn't even remember how many black eyes, broken noses, broken arms, and concussions she'd healed during that time, all the while rolling her eyes at their stupid methods of bonding. On top of that, Naruto was so ecstatic that there was nothing to keep him away from his girl for long periods of time anymore, that he'd proposed to Hinata within the first month.

Everyone thought Hyuuga Hiashi would have a stroke, kill Naruto, or both. But he accepted them, based largely on the fact that Hinata hadn't asked for permission, simply informed him of her engagement. She'd finally gotten the man of her dreams and something like propriety and social status wasn't about to get in her way. The Hyuuga clan head reluctantly accepted the engagement, knowing he couldn't stop it anyway and that it was better to save face by pretending he liked the idea. That, and the knowledge that Naruto would he Hokage one day. A connection like that was not to be passed up.

It wasn't widely known yet, but once the year was up and Sasuke was returned to active status, the Godaime intended to announce her successor, and Naruto would begin his 'grooming' for the job of Hokage. Sakura was happy that all of his dreams were coming true, but she was sad as well, because he wouldn't be her teammate anymore, and would probably only do a few missions with them before he became permanently tied to the village. It was like the end of an era. Or the beginning of a new one. Though she held no doubts that the Rokudaime would still be down at the ramen stand as often as possible. Some things would never change.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, though far more elaborate and extravagant than the couple wanted. But with the bride being of such high social standing there was no way out of it. It was held at the Hyuuga estate in the expansive garden, perfectly timed for the spring flowers to be in bloom. Now they were in the large formal event hall with the terrace doors open, overlooking the same garden under the moonlight.

"There you are!" Naruto exclaimed as he made his way over to her, one arm still around Hinata. "What a crazy day!"

"Naruto," she greeted with a bright smile. "Hinata, you look so beautiful," she said to the glowing girl for the third time that day.

"Yeah she does. She's the most beautiful thing in the whole world," Naruto agreed, gazing adoringly at his bride.

"Thank you, Sakura. So do you," Hinata replied.

"Hey…why were you being a wallflower just now, Sakura-chan? This is a party!"

Sakura hadn't thought he noticed her when he entered with the large crowd of well-wishers. "I was just resting for a minute. I was dancing with your protégé until he tried to cop a feel."

"He'll learn someday, when Moegi beats the crap out of him," he laughed. He tugged a little on the stiff collar of his shirt, unused to the formal attire. "I wish we could just get out of here already and get out of these stuffy clothes. But Hinata says we have to listen to speeches and talk to everyone at least once since they went to the trouble of coming."

Sakura laughed. "Well, Hinata is right. And you should get used to it; soon enough you'll have to deal with things like this all the time."

He rolled his eyes. "Ugh, don't remind me. When I said I wanted to be Hokage I never imagined it would mean doing so much boring stuff. No wonder Baa-chan is always looking for excuses to slack off and retire."

"You'll still be the best Hokage ever, Naruto. I know it." She grinned.

"Thanks! Hey there's Gaara!" he exclaimed, peering over her shoulder. "I guess we should move along, we still have a lot more _schmoozing_ to do. Make sure you have lots of fun tonight! Eat the fancy food, dance, get drunk." He stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug. "You deserve to be happy too."

She hugged him back warmly. "I know. Thank you."

He squeezed her once and pulled back to kiss her on the cheek. "Love you, Sakura-chan."

"Love you too." She exchanged hugs and best wishes with Hinata as well before the happy couple moved away toward the Kazekage and his entourage.

Sakura decided to look for her other teammates and was surprised when she spotted Sasuke. She would've thought he'd be hiding like Kakashi or lurking in a corner so he didn't have to talk to anyone. Instead he was engaged in a private conversation with the and maid of honor, Hanabi. A sly grin spread across her face at seeing the two of them. It appeared to be a normal conversation, but Sakura knew Sasuke and his subtleties, and it was obvious that he was flirting with the younger Hyuuga sister, and she was flirting back.

Hanabi was quite a sight, her lavender gown setting off her eyes and long raven hair. The odd little girl had grown up to be as beautiful as her sister, though their beauty shone in entirely different ways. Hinata was an elegant classic beauty. Hanabi was a rebellious free-spirit with a feisty personality. Sasuke had never met her before he left Konoha, but being the best man and maid of honor, they'd spent a lot of time around each other over the past several months of wedding plans. Who would have thought Uchiha Sasuke would be interested in a girl so soon, and one like Hyuuga Hanabi?

Sasuke had no idea how to go about finding someone to settle down with and restore his clan, and it was highly amusing to Sakura that something like this had stumbled upon him. Even if it was still only in the flirtation stages, she and Naruto really hoped it worked out between them. Naruto because then he and Sasuke really _would_ be brothers, and Sakura because she thought Hanabi was exactly the type of girl Sasuke needed; someone who wouldn't be trampled by his dominating personality and who wouldn't put up with the arrogant crap he pulled. She had a feeling it was only a matter of time before the great Uchiha was wrapped around Hanabi's little finger.

Sakura watched as Hanabi was called away from across the room by her father, and didn't miss the way the girl's fingers brushed over Sasuke's arm as she excused herself, or the way his eyes followed her as she walked away. Sakura's grin widened and she made her way over to him.

Sasuke noticed her approach and turned to her, his brow quirking at her expression. "What are you grinning about?"

"What? It's a wedding, isn't it? People are supposed to be happy."

He merely shrugged.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself well enough just now."

He gave her an 'I'll never admit it' look.

She was glad he was moving on, beginning to heal some of those old wounds. He would never be carefree or outgoing. The scars of his past ran too deep to ever disappear completely, and he would always be arrogant and proud, but there was no longer a sense of coldness and forced distance from him. He'd eventually apologized to them, separately and in private, admitting to the wrongs he'd done each of them. He understood the worth of his friends now, and accepted that he needed their support in his life.

"Have you seen Sai around?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I saw him about a half hour ago trying to avoid a group of girls."

She laughed. "He's picked up your old fan club."

"Hn. All he has to do is open his mouth and talk to them and I'm sure they'll go away." He smirked.

Everyone had seemed to think Sasuke and Sai would hate each other, but thankfully that turned out not to be the case. They respected each other's skills, as well as each other's antisocial tendencies. Sasuke's arrogance didn't faze the artist, and surprisingly, Sai's bluntness didn't rub the Uchiha the wrong way. In fact he seemed to appreciate his straightforward attitude. It was good they got along so well because once his probation was up, Sasuke would be taking Naruto's place on their team.

"Don't be so sure; it never worked on them with you," she jibed.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't act like you weren't one of them once."

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don't remind me. I think I needed my head checked worse than you did back then." He glared at her, but she just smirked. "What about Kakashi? Have you seen him?"

He gave a small snort. "He probably left a long time ago."

"Normally, yes. But since this is Naruto's wedding, I'm sure he's still around."

"Why don't you go look for him?"

"Eh, he's probably off reading that pervy book somewhere. Besides, you know how good he is at hiding. It would take forever to find him in this place."

Sasuke just shrugged.

"Are you trying to get rid of me so you can go flirt with Hanabi again?"

"Hn."

Her lips curved in a wistful smile. "It's funny how things work out, isn't it?" He looked at her curiously. "I mean, when I was younger I dreamed of marrying you myself, and now I find myself hoping the next wedding I go to will be yours."

Sasuke frowned a little. "It's a bit early to be thinking something like that, isn't it?"

"I know. Just saying. I want you to be happy, Sasuke. I'm glad you're finally doing better."

He studied her a long moment. "What about you? Are you doing better?"

Sakura had always wanted to help Sasuke move past the darkness inside, but she never thought she would do it by sharing some of the same sorrow and pain. Though most of their troubles were not the same, she was grateful she had someone who understood how it felt. She gave him a faint smile and nodded. "I am. Some days are harder than others, but I'm moving on and I want to be happy." She laughed softly. "Who would've thought it would be Naruto who found happiness before any of us."

Sasuke smirked. "All those years right under his nose, even a moron like him had to figure it out eventually."

She laughed. "Yeah. He really was a fool when it came to that."

"He's not the only one," Sasuke muttered dryly.

"What does that mean?"

He looked at her pointedly.

Sakura was confused. "What?"

He scoffed in exasperation. "Oh _come on_, Sakura. Sometimes I think you're the dumbest smart person I know." She just stared at him blankly, and he rolled his eyes. "You can figure it out if you try. Didn't we learn to always look underneath the underneath?"

"Whatever," she said, still mystified.

"There's Sai," he said, changing the subject and nodding across the room.

Sai was being followed around by a gaggle of fangirls, most of which appeared to be daughters of influential Hyuuga guests from outside the village. Needless to say he looked rather uncomfortable. He was sort of used to having groupies, and was used to shrugging them off, but these girls were spoiled and rich and accustomed to getting what they wanted, and obviously didn't accept being turned down.

"I suppose I should go rescue him," Sakura said, laughing. She turned and gave Sasuke a quick peck on the cheek, and he didn't pull away like he once would have. "I'll see you later. Go find your girl." He gave a noncommittal grunt as she walked away.

As she approached Sai and his would-be harem, he looked her way and with obvious relief. Unintentionally rude like only Sai could be—or perhaps not so unintentionally this time—he stepped out of the ring of socialites without a single word and walked toward his teammate.

"They won't leave me alone," he said.

The plaintive expression on his handsome face was comical. "I see that. I thought I'd help get them off your back." She very deliberately linked her arm in his and leaned against him a little as they walked away. The girls began to whisper furiously and she could feel the heat of their envious glares on her back. Sakura just laughed and remembered a time when she wasn't so different.

"Thanks. I wanted to leave, but I was concerned they would try to follow me home."

"You're a ninja, Sai. I'm sure you can outsmart and outrun a few spoiled heiresses."

"You would think so. But some women are crazy. I'm always being surprised by them." They sat down at one of the empty tables, watched the crowd and the swirling couples on the dance floor. After a while Sai noticed the small frown on her face. "Is something wrong, Sakura?"

She glanced at him. "Sort of… Are you in love with me, Sai?"

Sai blinked, and his brow furrowed as he honestly thought about it. "I don't think so," he said after a moment. "I'm not entirely sure what love is, but I don't have sexual fantasies about you, so probably not."

She couldn't help but laugh at his candid response. The only reason she asked him so bluntly was because she knew she would get an honest and simple reaction.

"Why? Do you want me to be?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"No, nothing like that. It's just something Sasuke said."

"He said I was in love with you?"

She laughed again and waved her hand dismissively. "No…he just implied that _someone_ was, and that I was oblivious to it. You wouldn't know, would you? No…I suppose that's a dumb question." She sighed.

Sai studied her, a look in his eyes she couldn't recognize. "You're strange," he said.

She gave him a look. "That's rich, coming from you."

"What I mean is; you're smart, and you're good at seeing things about other people. But when it comes to certain things about yourself, you're actually pretty dense."

Sakura shook her head, at a loss. "Sasuke just told me the same thing, more or less. I don't get it."

Sai eyed her perceptively, and after a moment said, "I have something for you."

Sakura wasn't really surprised by his abrupt changing of the subject. It was Sai after all.

"I've been meaning to give you this, but I'm gone with ANBU so much I haven't had a chance." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a neatly folded piece of paper. She recognized it as a page from his sketchbook. "I brought it with me tonight since I knew I would see you here." He handed it to her.

"A drawing? What of…?" Her voice faded out as she recognized what she was looking at. It was of Sakura on that day last autumn—on their last mission before her abduction. Kakashi was also in the picture, because that was the time she'd accidentally fallen asleep against him. Only…only it was different than she remembered, because in this drawing Kakashi was asleep as well. She hadn't known he'd dozed off at one point, and… Her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the image Sai had captured without their knowledge. "Is this…you didn't change anything about this did you?" she asked in soft amazement.

"Why would I? I only drew what I saw. Though you may not want to show that to anyone, since Kakashi still had his mask off at the time," he answered simply, as if her question were equally simple.

Only this wasn't simple at all. In the picture she was asleep with her back against Kakashi's chest, her head fallen to his shoulder. Kakashi's hands were still wrapped loosely around her shoulders and his head lay at an angle against hers. Her hand rested on his leg where it was stretched beside hers. This was… Sakura felt a warm flutter as she stared at the rendition of her sleeping face so close to Kakashi's, utterly fascinated. In the picture she was smiling in her sleep. What did this mean? In this picture they looked…_intimate_. It was like they were…

'_Didn't we learn to always look underneath the underneath?'_

"_Oh_…" she sighed. Sasuke's double entendre echoed in her head, and all the other hints and pieces tumbled and slowly clicked into place. How had she missed this? How could she not have realized something so incredibly significant? Suddenly so many things that had happened over the years revealed themselves in a new way. It was as if a light had been turned on, and now she could see. She _knew_.

She looked up at Sai as if just waking from a trance, a soft smile on her lips. He looked back at her with a small, amused smirk, and she realized what he'd just purposely done. If Sai knew…Naruto surely knew as she recalled some of his once-confusing comments with newfound clarity. If Sasuke had been back for only half a year and _he_ knew…

She really was oblivious.

"Thank you, Sai," she said softly. Sakura slowly stood and refolded the paper carefully, a dazed smile still on her face.

"Where are you going?"

She looked at him as she turned to leave. "Now who's the dense one?"

Sai smiled knowingly as she walked away.

* * *

She found him quicker than expected, on the terrace at the far end of the garden, sitting on the ledge reading Icha Icha under the light of the dimly glowing paper lanterns. Her heels clicked softly on the polished wood and he looked up at her approach, and smiled before standing and putting his book away.

"This is a lovely surprise." His smooth voice flowed toward her across the warm night air. "What brings you out here?"

She smiled softly. "I was looking for you."

"Oh? What for?"

She lifted her chin playfully. "Do I need a reason?"

Kakashi smiled, his eyes crinkling warmly. "Of course not. I'm always happy to see my favorite kunoichi."

"Even when I'm dragging you to the hospital to patch you up and heal your broken bones?" she teased.

"Especially then."

She leaned against the railing to look out over the garden. The tranquil water of the pond reflected the moon and stars, the pristine image breaking only occasionally when the koi nipped the surface from below.

"I'm surprised you're still here," she said.

He gave a small shrug. "Normally I wouldn't be. But it _is_ Naruto's wedding, and I couldn't skip out on such a phenomenally inexplicable occurrence. Besides, I like it out here. Beautiful, peaceful…"

"The perfect place to read porn."

"It's not _porn_," he corrected in mock offense, "it's a romance novel." They stared amusedly at one another for a moment, and then he chuckled softly. "Okay, it's porn." Sakura's soft laughter rang across the stillness.

They stood without speaking for a while, enjoying the beautiful night and each other's company. Sakura was always so comfortable with him. There was no need to fill the gaps of silence; they could just _be_.

After a while she felt Kakashi watching her, and looked up into his mismatched eyes. He was gorgeous in his black dress uniform, and she wasn't thinking that because of her recent epiphany. Truthfully she'd thought it more than once today…and in the past. This wasn't entirely new, she was slowly realizing. He wasn't wearing his hitai-ate, and his unruly silver hair fell over his left eye, which he kept mostly closed out of habit. But not now. Right now both charcoal grey and swirling crimson were fixed on her face. And the way he was looking at her…she could _see_ it now.

How incredibly, foolishly blind she had been.

"What?" she asked softly, when the silence seemed to stretch forever and he just continued to watch her.

He gave her a hesitant smile. "You look beautiful," he said quietly, and tentatively reached out to brush a stray strand of her upswept hair from her cheek. Then he blinked and dropped his hand slowly, resetting his casual posture.

She gave him a radiant smile. "Thank you. So do you."

His brow rose briefly. "I'm flattered. Though I think that may be the first time anyone's ever called me beautiful…"

Sakura grinned. "You know what I meant. And if they haven't said it it's because you always wear a mask."

"I guess you have a point there."

A great swell of feeling stirred within her as she watched him. This was the most unexpected thing in the world, but somehow it just felt _right_. Everything finally felt right. She'd been trying to live and be happy and move on with her life since the experience with Akatsuki left her profoundly changed, but there was always an indefinable something that eluded her.

Maybe it had been right under her nose the entire time. She'd never thought about it before, with him, but she found that she _wanted_ this. She wanted this chance to love openly and be loved openly in return.

She took a chance before, and did not regret it. Now she was offered another, and she would not pass it by.

Sakura stepped closer to him. "However…" She hooked a finger under his mask and slowly pulled it down around his neck. Gazing into his eyes, she whispered, "I've seen underneath…the underneath."

Kakashi stood absolutely still and stared at her in amazement. She moved a bit closer, until her chest brushed against his. A small shiver ran up her spine; she'd been this close to him several times before, but this felt _very_ different. She ran a fingertip softly along his lightly stubbled jaw. "Kakashi," she whispered with a knowing smile, "when were you going to tell me?"

He searched her eyes, and then gave a faint, ironic laugh, still not daring to move. Like he was afraid of breaking the spell if he so much as breathed. "Never…" he murmured, and she only heard it because she was so close.

She tilted her face up to his, fingers curling around the thick fabric of his shirt. "Well, then…you're an even bigger moron than Naruto." Slowly, she pressed her lips to his.

Kakashi froze for a split second. Then his lips parted, his arms wrapped around her, and the world fell away. His lips moved against hers cautiously at first, and she made a blissful sound when he held her face in his hands and his kiss became sure. This was different than any kiss she'd ever had, different than any feeling she'd ever known. There was passion…so much passion simmering below the surface of this first gentle kiss. But there was so much _more_ than that as well. There was tenderness, there was longstanding trust and deep affection. There was love. It was everything.

They parted reluctantly, only when it was necessary to breathe. Their foreheads remained touching as they both tried to still their racing hearts. "Sakura," he murmured, thumbs brushing her cheeks.

There were no words in the world to properly respond to what she'd just experienced, so she slipped her arms around his neck and clung to him. He sighed and held her to him tightly, pressing his uncovered face into the soft bend of her neck, breathing the scent of her skin and hair. Minutes passed as they held each other, expressing this wonderful new thing between them through touch alone. When she finally lifted her head from his shoulder he softly wiped the last traces of happy tears from her cheeks and a silly grin spread across his face. Sakura knew her smile had to be just as goofy, but neither of them cared.

"Kakashi…" she whispered, as if his name itself was a discovery. She stepped back a little and tugged lightly on his shirt. "It looks like you and I have a few things to talk about," she said playfully, her eyes sparkling.

His grin softened into a tender smile. "Then let's get out of here."

She grabbed his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers. She gently pulled him after her and stepped off the terrace onto the garden path, and the two of them faded quietly into the shadows.

* * *

The End

* * *

**A/N**: Itachi will always be a part of Sakura, and the fact that she keeps his necklace is proof of how special that time was to her. But as we all know, life goes on no matter what, and she deserves to be happy in the end.

Thanks for reading!


	20. Author Note: Sequel

Just dropping a note here for those of you who may not have me on author alert. The first chapter of the Perception sequel is up! It's called Silver Lining, and it is set several years after where Perception left off. Many things have changed for Sakura, and there will be some surprises, but based on everyone's feedback over the course of Perception I think many of you will be pleased.

Please check it out and give it a shot!

Cynchick.


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